After getting his big break back in 1993, he’s since gone on to have a stellar career that’s seen him be everything from a rom-com hero and a sex symbol to an Academy Award winner. Matthew McConaughey may have gone through periods of his career where he was a little typecast, but after a string of dramatic roles, he’s certainly gone on to prove his versatility and talent on his way to becoming an A-lister. His drawling style of talking and Texan roots are famous and have become a beloved part of his repertoire, but there’s also a lot more depth to him than may have always been apparent.
Seeing a similarly meteoric rise in his Hollywood career, writer and showrunner, Taylor Sheridan also came into his own on the back of the massive success of the Yellowstone franchise. The original show starring Kevin Costner and featuring the now very popular Dutton family has since burgeoned into a huge TV universe, already having added successful spin-offs to it, with more on the horizon.
The enduring the popularity and acclaim of the shows mean main roles in them have become coveted parts. With the likes of legendary stars like Sam Elliot, Helen Mirren, and Harrison Ford leading spin-off shows, attention has turned to who will star in the upcoming shows as the franchise expands. With Sheridan already confirming that Matthew McConaughey snagged the lead in an upcoming spin-off, here are 10 reasons why he’s actually a perfect fit for the Yellowstone franchise.
10 His Versatility
For a while during the early ’00s, Matthew McConaughey became well known for his various roles in hit rom-coms like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. While those roles brought him a lot of success and immense popularity, particularly among female audiences, it also left him a little typecast. His looks and physique were usually a hot topic, and he enjoyed a lot of time in the limelight as a sex symbol.
While none of this was of course a bad thing for him, McConaughey later made a statement as an actor as he began taking on more dramatic roles. This proved to be a great move for his career as he went on to prove that he wasn’t one-dimensional and actually had a lot of range and depth. Acclaim followed and McConaughey went on to star in a diverse range of films — now known as a very versatile actor who can be trusted to bring great performances to any kind of role he takes on.
9 His Texan Roots
Versatility aside, the Yellowstone shows are known for their Western themes and unapologetic Southern values. Although beloved shows with massive audiences following them, this fact has particularly made them a hit among conservative viewers. Matthew McConaughey is no stranger to the show’s underlying roots since he’s a Texan native himself.
McConaughey has also made no secret of his faith and Christian values and is very recognizable by his Southern accent and cowboy mannerisms. In many ways, his part in the Yellowstone franchise will not require him to have to dig too deep into his versatility to be convincing, since his real-life roots have a lot in common with the franchise’s themes.
8 His Acclaim
During McConaughey’s successful period where he branched out into more dramatic roles, his part in Dallas Buyers Club was particularly acclaimed. He pulled off a once-in-a-lifetime performance for the film as an initially hedonistic and homophobic man whose lifestyle led to him being diagnosed with AIDS.
His commitment to the role was praised since he transformed his body by losing his legendary physique, and took on a far skinnier and unhealthier look for the part. That role won him a slew of prestigious awards, including the Oscar for Best Actor and a Golden Globe. It also announced his entrance into an elite club of actors, heralding the fact that he now had the kind of acting pedigree to bring prestige to any role he puts his name on.
7 His Ruggedness
In the original show from the franchise, Yellowstone, the Dutton family had already built their fortune as wealthy ranchers. However, spin-off shows have since acted as prequels, tracing the history of the family during the 1800s and early 20th century, and showing all the difficulties, including grinding poverty, they faced to get there.
While there isn’t much information currently available about what Matthew McConaughey’s show will deal with, it’s likely that it will feature rugged and gritty southern characters in it too. In that sense, McConaughey has proven on many occasions that he’s up for any kind of role. Whether it be a charming cowboy or a rugged and gritty part, audiences know he can be just as convincing in any kind of role or setting.
6 Period Acting
While most of Matthew McConaughey’s roles have seen him star in films set in modern times, he has proven that he can be just as good in period films too. A great example of this came from his role in Free State of Jones.
In that film, McConaughey played a former farmer who serves as a medic for the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Opposed to slavery, this gave his character some great nuance given the period depicted, and he shone in the role.
​​​​​Since Yellowstone spin-offs have so far taken place during different periods of the Dutton family’s history, regardless of its timeline, there’s no doubting that he can effortlessly slip right into the character he’ll be playing.
5 His Fan Base
Since the role that made him, Matthew McConaughey’s been everything from a rom-com hero to a sex symbol to an Oscar winner, and everything in between. He’s built up an army of fans and admirers for this too, given how diverse his roles have been. In the same vein, the Yellowstone franchise has also grown to become immensely popular with a diverse range of audiences.
Between the franchise’s popularity and McConaughey’s own huge fan base, it’s likely that his part in it is only going to augment what has already been a very successful TV universe. His part in it will be the latest in a line of A-list actors and actresses, and highly-acclaimed stars who have already placed their stamp on the world of Yellowstone.
4 His Likability
During the course of his great career, it isn’t just female audiences who have taken to Matthew MCconaughey. His status as a sex symbol aside, one of the key attributes that’s made him so popular has been his likability and off-screen persona as an actor.
In that sense, McConaughey has often cut a straight-laced figure. He’s well known for his philanthropy, having endeared himself to many people by starting the Just Keep Livin Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping teenagers live active lives to keep them on wholesome paths and out of trouble. His Southern charm, surfer-dude persona, and laid-back personality captured perfectly by his famous “Alright, alright, alright” catchphrase makes Matthew McConaughey an inherently likable actor.
3 Family Values
Like his Southern roots, cowboy charm, and likability, another trait of Matthew McConaughey that often endears him to fans is that he’s known to be a family man. Despite all his appeal and popularity, he’s one of the rare actors in Hollywood whose career has remained relatively scandal-free.
He’s been married to his wife Camila Alves a long time and the couple have three kids together. MCconaughey’s reputation as a family man and a devoted Christian will likely make it a lot easier for him to fit into the world of Yellowstone. Amid the hedonistic and unwholesome image that Hollywood actors often represent, stars like McConaughey remain a rare bastion of good values and great role modeling for younger generations.
2 He’s Not a Movie Snob
Given the acclaim Matthew McConaughey has already achieved in his career so far, he’s also remained quite grounded as an actor. With other acclaimed actors like Liam Neeson all but ruling themselves out of future TV roles by being self-confessed movie snobs who prefer film acting to parts in series, McConaughey has already shown that he’s not one of them.
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In the past, he’s had cameo roles in shows like Sex and the City, and recently performed voice acting for the role of Elvis Presley in Netflix’s animated show, Agent Elvis. He’s also had a leading role alongside his co-star and personal friend, Woody Harrelson, in the hit crime anthology show True Detective, a role he won a Critic’s Choice TV Award for Best Actor.
1 “A Natural Fit”
Having already confirmed Matthew McConaughey’s involvement in a future spin-off, Taylor Sheridan also told The Hollywood Reporter that he felt the star was a “natural fit,” in addition to confirming that McConaughey himself is keen on the project.
“He seems like a natural fit. We had a few conversations over the years, and spitballed a few ideas. Then he started watching Yellowstone and responded to it. He was like, ‘I want to do that’. And by ‘that’, he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world. And then I said, ‘Buddy, that we can do’.”
The pair go back a long time, with McConaughey famously beating out Sheridan for his role in Dazed and Confused which wound up giving him his big break. Sheridan of course went on to fare just fine on his own and has become one of the most acclaimed showrunners today, as the brilliant mind behind many of the best shows around.
Getting Sheridan’s blessing for the role is already the best endorsement Matthew McConaughey needs for viewers to know he’s going to be great for the show. The actor’s of course no stranger to big name filmmakers since he’s already worked with the likes of Christopher Nolan, Guy Ritchie, and Martin Scorsese in the past, all of whom have said good things about him.
Aside from Matthew McConaughey being a “natural fit” to lead the upcoming Yellowstone spin-off, it’s clear that between him and Sheridan, it’s likely going to be one of the best offerings from the franchise yet.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
