Why Matthew McConaughey still considers himself an underdog

MOST people would look at Matthew McConaughey and think he’s pretty much got it made — good looks, stardom awards and a good family life. That’s not quite how the man himself sees it, though. He still sees himself as the underdog.

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MOST people would look at Matthew McConaughey and think he’s pretty much got it made — good looks, stardom awards and a good family life.

That’s not quite how the man himself sees it, though. He still sees himself as the underdog.

“I truly don’t believe that I’ve made it,” he tells BW Magazine.

“I’m in the process, I’m trying to build. I don’t believe that, ah, I’m Matthew McConaughey. I’m 48, I’ve got a family, I’ve got a wife, I’ve got three kids, everyone’s healthy right now, I’ve got a career, I’ve won an Oscar. It’s not like, ‘Oh, I did it.’

“There’s chapters of success and failures but there’s not a spot where you get to take a deep breath and go — I’ve finally made it. Then you become stagnant. That’s not as fun.”

Matthew McConaughey has had many successes in his acting career. Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Fun is a driving force for the famous Texan. Last year he said he was ready to return to comedy for a movie or two because he had spent a while away from the genre. He was even considering a role on the stage to try to stretch himself.

“I’m still writing my life story, it’s getting updated day by day,” he says.

Fun was also the catalyst for McConaughey trying to create his own bespoke bourbon. And he certainly wouldn’t call going through more than 80 bottles over two years to ensure the blend was just right anything like hard work.

When he signed on as the creative director of Wild Turkey in 2016, the idea of creating his own blend wasn’t on the cards.

But as an actor with no distilling experience, he was very much the underdog when he put it to master distiller Eddie Russell with a succinct sales pitch.

“I said, ‘You know what will be fun? I’ve always wanted to create my own bourbon, how much fun would that be?’ ” he says.

“Eddie would send me four tester bottles at a time, so I’ve gotta say it was really fun at midnight on Saturday night, sitting round the campfire tasting the testers over and over and over.”

The result was Longbranch, which uses mesquite and oak charcoals to incorporate the flavours of his Texan background with Wild Turkey’s Kentucky heritage.

I think complacency with success is a good way to start failing

Other whiskies can be made from a mash of fermented grain, including wheat, rye, barley, and corn, but bourbon must contain at least 51 per cent corn and be aged in charred oak barrels.

McConaughey is not one for technical terms, he uses music to define the difference.

“Bourbon’s got a lot more depth to it, a lot more of a bass line and less treble,” he says.

“Bourbon is still a strong alcohol finish but it’s gonna have a longer, more legato note in the drinking of it. It’s smoother for me, I like a little more sweetness.”

While he’s best known as an actor, and now a part-time bourbon distiller, there’s also something of the philosopher about McConaughey.

A 48-minute speech he gave at the University of Houston in 2015 went viral. If it were anyone else, it would be tedious but McConaughey’s charisma and screen presence make you want to watch the whole thing.

McConaughey created his own Longbranch Wild Turkey bourbon.

If you don’t have an hour, sections of it can be found on YouTube, alternatively called This Is Why You’re Not Happy and Always Play Like An Underdog.

The motivational speech covered his life lessons, why he chases joy rather than happiness, how being a good husband to wife Camila Alves, 36, and dad to Levi, 10, Vida, 8, and Livingston, 5, gives his life purpose and explains why he’s always going to be the underdog.

“I think complacency with success is a good way to start failing,” he says.

“I believe life’s a verb, it’s not for me to say I’ve reached a destination. I’m still swimming.”

Whether it’s a leisurely backstroke or a furious paddle, the important thing for McConaughey is that he’s moving.

“That’s another thing, sometimes you’re going to be going with the tide, so enjoy that time. You’re going to be going against the tide pretty soon,” he says.

“Life happens so let the joy flow, conserve energy and dissect why things are going well because the hard times are coming.”

Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves have three children together. Picture: Michael Loccisano/Getty

As much success as he’s had, there have been failures along the way.

A career comeback — dubbed the McConaissance — led him away from rom-coms to serious roles, including his Oscar-winning Dallas Buyers Club, but it was followed by flops such as The Sea Of Trees, Gold and The Dark Tower. His latest film, White Boy Rick, is out mid-September.

“I believe optimism is realism,” he says.

“I believe pessimism and cynicism are diseases of older age that we have to make sure don’t infiltrate us.”

So he’s going to take his own advice and keep swimming to stave them off.