Matthew McConaughey Chose Acting Over Law School so He Could Enjoy His 20s
Matthew McConaughey had been harboring a desire to become an actor for years. But he briefly put that dream of his on the back burner and focused on becoming a lawyer instead. When he thought about what it’d take to pursue a career in law, however, McConaughey had a change of heart.
Matthew McConaughey once shared why he rejected law school
McConaughey has played a couple of lawyers in his long career. One of his breakthrough roles came in A Time to Kill, where he played a young attorney opposite Sandra Bullock. He also portrayed a lawyer in the 2011 film Lincoln Lawyer, one of the films that kicked off his McConaissance.
The actor’s habit of playing attorneys was brought up in an interview with Collider. There, McConaughey noted that he actually considered pursuing that profession in real life. He was very passionate about debating, and felt he had the right tools needed to be a decent lawyer.
“I love debate, from both sides,” he said. “When I was 19, 20, 21, I really started to fall on the side of the defense and really felt like that I was purely built for it, and felt 100% clear with being able to defend someone, if I knew they were innocent. That was a battle that I could not lose. There are certain things that you believe in and go, ‘That’s one of those places that I’ll find every bit of energy from the depths of my body and ancestry to fight, and win that fight.’ That was idealistically why I was interested in defense and criminal law.”
But he changed his mind after realizing how much of his life would be spent pursuing a law degree.
“I thought that’s what I wanted to do with my life, since I was 14,” McConaughey said. “When I was in school, that’s where I thought I was heading – law school at the University of Texas. I changed my mind my junior year, when I looked up and saw two more years of school, then four years of law school. I thought, ‘You’ll be 28 by the time you get out and you can actually implement an imprint in society.’ I didn’t like that idea. I didn’t want to miss my 20’s. I wanted to get experience and try something out.”
How Matthew McConaughey’s dad reacted to him skipping law school
McConaughey didn’t think his late father would have a favorable response to him pursuing film. He called his father one day to tell him that he made up his mind, which was a nerve-racking experience for McConaughey.
“‘I don’t want to go to law school anymore. I want to go to film school,'” he recalled telling his father in an interview with Q. “And I’m waiting for him to go, ‘You want to what?’ But instead, real calm he goes, ‘Huh. Are you sure that’s what you want to do?’ And I immediately said, ‘Yes sir.'”
Even after his father’s calm response, McConaughey immediately expected him to lash out. But the exact opposite happened, which meant a lot to the Oscar-winner.
“Then he gave me three words that changed my life. He said, ‘Well, don’t half ass it.’ And I remember tearing up when he said that,” McConaughey said. “It was more than approval that he gave me. He gave me rocket fuel with that line. The way he said it, he was like ‘Do it. Not only do I approve of you doing it, but awesome. I’m giving you privilege and freedom to do it and responsibility to do it.’ And it was the best thing he could have ever said to me.”
Needless to say, McConaughey was glad he ended up choosing that path, as it worked out well for him.
