Matthew McConaughey’s First Major Role In 6 Years Is In An “Inverted Western” As Bluegrass Playing Beekeeper Amziah King

The honey business is anything but sweet in Andrew Patterson’s new thriller The Rivals of Amziah King. Set in rural Oklahoma, the movie tells the story of Amziah King, who manages the top local honey-making operation–as well as a group of bluegrass-playing misfits. As the title gives away, King’s business and way of life are threatened as his rivals come into play.

The Rivals of Amziah King is set in a small community, but features a large cast. Matthew McConaughey Stars as Amziah King, but the film also features Spider-Man franchise actor Tony Revolori, Rob Morgan, Cole Sprouse, Jake Horowitz, and Angelina LookingGlass. The film marks LookingGlass’ movie debut, and Variety’s review of the movie said “you may come away thinking that she’s a star.”

ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley spoke with The Rivals of Amziah King director Andrew Patterson and cast members Rob Morgan, Tony Revolori, Angelina LookingGlass, Jake Horowitz, Cole Sprouse, and Matthew McConaughey at SXSW 2025. The group discussed the movie’s musical numbers, the ensemble nature of the cast, and more. Plus, McConaughey reflected on being a part of the cast of Interstellar 10 years after Christopher Nolan’s ambitious space film hit theaters.

Matthew McConaughey Shares What Brought Him Back To Live-Action After 6 Years

Of The Movie, He Said “The World Needs To See Something Like That Right Now”

Matthew McConaughey’s last starring role was in 2019’s The Gentlemen. “I just was telling stories in other ways over the last six years,” the actor said. He shared what it was about Amziah King that pulled him back in: “I came to this one because of the original time, place, and voice. I know these people. I know this man, Amziah King.”

“We’re the band of misfits. We’re the band of underdogs.” It was the tone and themes of the film that really sold McConaughey on the project, though: “It’s about mentorships, it’s about families, it’s about parents. My character gives people a sense of belonging.”

He continued, saying, “There’s an innocence to this film. I was like, ‘The world needs to see something like that right now. I want to be a part of that.’ So, as wild as it is, and as unhinged as the story is, there’s a lot of heart and a lot of innocence. And [it’s] a very pure story that Andrew wrote.”

“Also,” McConaughey shared, “it’s kind of a musical.” Patterson then confirmed that there are six live musical numbers in the film, revealing “that was part of the reason we wanted McConaughey. We needed to get him out here so we could see the man sing and play.”

The Rivals Of Amziah King Hits Home For Director Andrew Patterson

“I Don’t Know That I Have Another Way To Make Movies”

Andrew Patterson lives in Oklahoma, where The Rivals of Amziah King is set. “I don’t know that I have another way to make movies except for them to be native to who I am and where I’m from,” the director shared.

“Growing up in smaller towns out of Oklahoma and Texas, where my family’s from… I needed to try to replicate the voices I heard and grew up around, and so staging it in the honeybee industry and putting it in rural Oklahoma was natural to me.”

Patterson has also called the movie an “inverted Western,” which he elaborated on as well: “Putting a Western trope together that we start out thinking is one thing [but] becomes something else–that was narratively satisfying, to try and subvert the genre.”

In regard to subverting genre, Patterson later said “this is absolutely not down the middle. It takes bold swings that you won’t find in anything of a larger scale.”

Cast Members Share Their Experiences With Acting & The Film

Tony Revolori Praised Angelina LookingGlass & The Rest Of The Ensemble

As McConaughey put it, the characters in The Rivals of Amziah King become their own band of misfits, which necessitated believable performances from the actors individually and also as a unit. “When I was younger, I did take acting classes,” Angelina LookingGlass said of how she honed her own talent.

“But the main thing that helped me learn was watching a bunch of films that my mom would watch. I’m a huge fan of Jackie Brown, which was directed by [Quentin] Tarantino.” LookingGlass went on to say, “Watching these really accomplished actors work has helped me develop those skills.”

Tony Revolori is no stranger to watching accomplished actors work, as a veteran of ensemble films like Grand Budapest Hotel. “I think Andrew did a great job in picking who he did and having us all come on board,” the actor shared,

“Everyone here did an incredible job. Jake is a stellar actor. Cole could do better, but we like him anyway.” The Suite Life of Zack & Cody star had the perfect response: “As someone else who spent a lot of time in a hotel, I thought you would have my back.”

“[Angelina] was incredible,” Revolori continued, “and having a similar experience on Grand Budapest Hotel, coming in as a new actor with a bunch of actors who have accomplished so much, it is daunting, and I dare say she did it better than I in handling it and taking it in stride.”

Matthew McConaughey Reveals Amziah King’s Character

“This Is A Heart-Leading Guy, That’s For Sure”

“If you’ve got characters that lead, proverbially, by the head, heart, or the midsection, this is a heart-leading guy, that’s for sure,” McConaughey responded when asked how he came to understand the character of Amziah King.

King is “a consumer of life and love,” and “a giver of belonging,” said the actor, continuing, “[He’s] the leader of the gang, but [he] loves it when all the other band members are in the spotlight.” Still, he “buys the legend in his own story.”

McConaughey Reflects On Interstellar’s Long Journey To Acceptance

“It’s Gotten More Important To A Lot Of People Here 10 Years Later”

Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar was recently re-released in celebration of the movie’s 10th anniversary and, according to McConaughey, “I have had more people in this last year, with the IMAX re-release, come up to me than after the release 10 years ago.”

He continued: “People come up now that go, ‘Interstellar. That’s my movie. It changed my life. Here’s why.’ I say, ‘How many times have you seen it?’ Most of them say four.”

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“People find the meaning more clear the more times you see it,” said McConaughey, “That one sure as heck has legs, and it’s gotten more important to a lot of people here 10 years later … Not all [movies] do.

“Some never get out of the gate and then rear their head years or decades later.” On Interstellar, McConaughey finished with, “To have so many people come up and go, ‘That’s my favorite film,’ it does feel like second gear kicked in even better than the first gear did.”

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The Rivals of Amziah King

Release Date

March 10, 2025

Runtime

130 minutes

Director

Andrew Patterson

Writers

Andrew Patterson

Producers

David Heyman, Jeffrey Clifford, Teddy Schwarzman, John Friedberg, Will Greenfield, Michael Heimler