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Why Matthew McConaughey’s Wife Camila Alves Told Him to Quit Rom-Coms

In the early 2000s, Matthew McConaughey became the go-to romantic comedies guy. And as an actor, he absolutely hated it.

McConaughey may have been raking in the millions. But he found that he didn’t enjoy the types of movies he starred in. While “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” proved to be a hit, it resulted in him getting type-cast as an actor. As a result, McConaughey decided to quit Hollywood in an effort to put distance between him and the genre.

“I was the go-to rom-com guy. I enjoyed making them, and they paid well. I was leading a successful life as an actor. But there’s a certain buoyancy built into rom-coms that isn’t about hanging your hat on humanity like a drama is. You stay light,” McConaughey said in a recent interview. “If you go deep in a rom-com you can sink the ship. In my life, though, I was going very deep. I found the love of my life in Camila. We had a newborn coming. I had more things to get angry about, laugh about, have more joy about and be sad about. The ceilings and basements had more depth and height to them, and I wanted to do work that reflected my personal vitality.”

His wife Camila supported the decision. McConaughey said, “It was scary. But Camila said, ‘If we’re going to do this, we’re not going to half-a– it.’”

Matthew McConaughey Quit Hollywood

When no offers for dramas came, Matthew McConaughey packed up shop. He turned away millions and decided he would no longer participate in the industry. The actor spent almost a year and a half on his extended hiatus.

“So I went on a sabbatical away from Hollywood,” McConaughey said. “I said no to every rom-com script that came my way. I turned down one for $14.5 million. Word got around Hollywood I’d done that, and they said, ‘McConaughey’s not bluffing. Quit sending him romantic comedies!’”

But McConaughey had his wife and family to support him during this time. He realized that he may never act again due to his career change. But eventually, the offers eventually came.

“And then what happened? ‘Lincoln Lawyer,’ ‘Killer Joe,’ ‘Bernie,’ ‘Magic Mike,’ ‘Mud,’ ‘True Detective,’ ‘Dallas Buyers Club,’” McConaughey said. “I unbranded those two years to then rebrand. All of a sudden, I became a new, novel idea. The dramas came my way, and I jumped on them.”