Matthew McConaughey actively stepped away from the camera in the last few years, something he says will allow him to return to the big and small screens as a better actor.
“The last few years I had a really wonderful time getting rid of a lot of those filters that come with acting,” he told Dax Shepard on his “Armchair Expert” podcast.
“I am now becoming more interested in actually going to play another character in a movie or TV show because all of the last four years of culminating and writing and getting these things together, and getting more into some public service, now that I’m starting to dispatch those and get them organized and put ‘em in front of me, it freed me up to go, ‘The idea of going to act in the right role and the right kind of movie, film, or series, right now, sounds like an awesome vacation.'”
His comments come just weeks after Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Paramount Media Networks, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that a “Yellowstone” spinoff featuring McConaughey was moving forward, amid ongoing drama with the original series’ filming schedule for season 5.
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY POSES WITH LOOKALIKE SONS IN RARE FAMILY PHOTO SHARED BY CAMILA ALVES
Matthew McConaughey recently reflected on stepping away from the industry for the past few years to focus on other interests. (Lou Rocco/Disney General Entertainment Content)
For months, it has been reported that star Kevin Costner is less than willing to film the latter half of the fifth season, a claim his attorney has adamantly denied.
McCarthy acknowledged that McConaughey’s spinoff would move forward regardless of Costner’s involvement with the franchise.
‘YELLOWSTONE’ STAR ON SHOW’S UNCERTAIN FUTURE: ‘I LIVE IN THE MOMENT’
“The idea that Kevin was only willing to work one week on the second half of Season 5 of ‘Yellowstone’ is an absolute lie,” Costner’s attorney, Marty Singer, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “It’s ridiculous — and anyone suggesting it shouldn’t be believed for one second. As everyone who knows anything about Kevin is well aware, he is incredibly passionate about the show and has always gone way above and beyond to ensure its success.”
“Yellowstone,” toplined by Kevin Costner, is facing rumors the fifth season could be its last. (Paramount Network)
Paramount Network also denied those rumors.
“We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of ‘Yellowstone,’ and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come,” a spokesperson for the network told Fox News Digital at the time.
Neither a title nor a plot have been announced in regard to Matthew McConaughey’s “Yellowstone” spinoff. (Tim Warner)
No description of McConaughey’s show has been given. It is one of 10 projects “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan is currently working on with McCarthy.
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McConaughey’s show will not be the first extension of “Yellowstone,” with prequels “1883,” with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and “1923,” with Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, having already aired.
McConaughey believes his time spent away from acting has made him a better performer. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for SXSW)
As McConaughey prepares to dip his toe back into the acting pool, he admitted that his time away has been valuable.
“None of this time, at all, has been in vain,” he said. “I wouldn’t dare be arrogant enough to think any of it has. I’ll be a different or improved actor, in my own right, after this last three years. I deliberately chose to go focus on some things I was talking about. And I have different perspectives. … What I have is so much respect for the vocation of acting. I think I have a healthier relationship. I’m not looking at it for my survival and my ‘thrival.'”
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“I think good acting emulates life,” McConaughey added. “Real life’s where this stuff comes from. I think I’ve experienced some real good life in these last few years, in ways that I hadn’t in a while.”