Why Matthew McConaughey quit Hollywood at peak of fame

Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey has finally revealed why he abruptly fled Hollywood after starring in a string of hit movies.

Matthew McConaughey has revealed the reason behind his decision to move his family out of Hollywood — despite being at the height of his acting career.

The Oscar winner, 55, moved to his home state of Texas over a decade ago with his wife, Camila Alves. And the pair haven’t looked back since, reports the New York Post.

More than 10 years later, the duo are still residing in Austin with their sons Levi, 15, and Livingston, 11, and daughter Vida, 14.

When asked why, McConaughey said that staying true to himself has allowed his career to gain longevity.

“Look, man, the devil’s in the infinite yeses, not the nos,” McConaughey said on the Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios podcast.

“No, it’s just as important, if not more important. Especially if you have some level of success and access. No becomes more important than yes.”

“I mean, we all look around and see we’ve over-leveraged our life with yeses and go, ‘Geez, oh, man, I’m making C minuses and all that s**t in my life because I said yes to too many things.’ I have many times in my life where I’m going through autopilot,” he added.

McConaughey and Kate Hudson in How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.

… and Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner.

Prior to moving to the Lone Star state, McConaughey and Alves — who wed in 2012 — were living in Malibu, California.

At the time, the actor became a household name after starring in a series of successful rom-coms, including, How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days, The Wedding Planner, Failure to Launch, and Fool’s Gold.

“That was my lane, and I liked that lane,” he said of his past rom-com work. “That lane paid well and it was working. But the lane was … I was so strong in that lane that anything outside of that lane, dramas and stuff that I wanted to do, were like, ‘No, no, no, no, no McConaughey.’ Hollywood said ‘No, no, no, no, you should stay there, stay there.’”

The actor and his wife Brazilian model Camila Alves. Picture: Michael Tran/AFP

McConaughey said he knew that he wanted to expand his acting portfolio beyond rom-coms — something that Hollywood wasn’t initially on board with.

The decision prompted him to move his family to Texas. Once there, he told his wife that he would only go back to California if he’s “offered roles I want to do.”

“Luckily, Camila got pregnant with our first child. So there was purpose coming to look forward to,” he told the tennis star. “But I was still like, ‘Man’s gotta work.’ Making chimes and working in the garden wasn’t cutting it.”

Indeed, McConaughey refused to sign on the dotted line unless it was a project he was passionate about.

In fact, he even turned down a $15 million role and instead signed on to another movie weeks later that offered him a more enticing script.

“I think that was the one that was probably what was seen as the most rebellious move in Hollywood by me, because it really sent the signal, ‘He ain’t f**king bluffing,’” he recalled.

“I think that’s what made Hollywood go, ‘You know what? He’s now a new novel idea. He’s a new bright idea.’”

Shortly after, McConaughey signed on to star in Dallas Buyers Club — a role that earned him an Oscar and a more modest payday of $200,000.

Since then, McConaughey went on to star in blockbusters such as Interstellar, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Mud.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Why Matthew McConaughey quit Hollywood at peak of fame