Matthew McConaughey Refused to Be Called by His Name on ‘Reign of Fire’ Set
In 2002, actor Matthew McConaughey starred in the film Reign of Fire alongside Christian Bale. McConaughey dedicated himself to the movie both physically and mentally. So much so that the actor didn’t even want anyone on set addressing him by his real name.
But it was a request that one of his co-stars pushed quickly made fun of.
Matthew McConaughey scared people close to him because of his role in ‘Reign of Fire’
Reign of Fire was a post-apocalyptic science fiction film where the world has been overrun by dragons. McConaughey and Bale play two of a few characters who are willing to take out the dragons to reclaim the Earth. For McConaughey, getting into shape was important to nail his character, a process that he dedicated much of his time to.
“To get in shape I went to my ranch for two months. I ran behind a truck. I worked out with weights. I was running for miles a day and started boxing, which I maintained in Dublin at a gym. I also wrestled with cows at the ranch. It was a blast,” McConaughey once told Phase 9. “We have about 70 cows and I’d throw my shoulder into them. They don’t bite too much. I’d try to get them in headlocks and stuff like that. It was fun and doing it got me in shape.”
The actor also shaved his head bald to further capture the character. But not everyone enjoyed this transformation.
“I had a few interesting reactions. It scared quite a few people. A few people didn’t like it at all. A woman who was very close to me wouldn’t talk to me for a couple of days because she thought I was evil-looking,” McConaughey said. “My mother asked what happened to those beautiful locks. I was lucky when I shaved my head that I had a decent shape to it. After that it was just a matter of getting some sun on the top of it.”
Matthew McConaughey refused to be addressed by his name on the ‘Reign of Fire’ set
McConaughey also attempted to get into the headspace of the character as well. To do this, the Oscar-winner allegedly sent out a memo to others on set that he wasn’t to be called by his real name. McConaughey’s Reign of Fire co-star, Alexander Siddig, recalled the incident in a 2008 interview with AV Club. For Siddig, it was the only thing that stood out about the 2002 movie.
“The first A.D. came into the trailer where we were all having our makeup and s*** done, and he was, like, ‘Guys, I need your attention, please.’ And we were, like, ‘Yeah?’ And he said, ‘Um, Mr. McConaughey’s gonna arrive on set in about 15 minutes, and I have to give you a directive—which comes from the producers—that you are not to call him ‘Matthew’ or ‘Mr. McConaughey’ or anything to do with his real life,” Siddig said. “’You must call him Van San.’”
Van San was the name of his Reign of Fire character. But according to Siddig, this rule would also apply outside of filming as well.
“’And even if you meet him outside in the road, even if you meet him out in town in Dublin,’ where we were shooting this movie, ‘you must call him Van Zan,’” Siddig recalled the A.D. saying. “And that is exactly what I remember about that movie, because as that first A.D. left the building, I shouted—rather lamely—’And he’s got to call me Elvis!’ But he didn’t call me Elvis. In fact, he didn’t call me anything!”
Matthew McConaughey head-butted Christian Bale in ‘Reign of Fire’
McConaughey and Bale also engaged in a hard-hitting fight scene for the film. But McConaughey accidentally ended up being too rough with The Dark Knight star and ended up physically head-butting him. However, Bale would shrug off the attack to continue the scene.
“The head-butt on Christian was real. It was accidental and happened in the heat of the moment and put a nice egg on Christian’s forehead. Good on him though for staying in there and finishing the scene. I was saying ‘cut’ because I was worried. But he kept on going. The fun was trying to make the fight look as real as possible. Our knuckles and knees were bloodied,” McConaughey said.
