Matthew McConaughey is discussing being a Christian in Hollywood. The Dallas Buyers Club actor said he hasn’t experienced any difficulties. But some of his actor peers chose not to publicly express faith in God or a higher power.
McConaughey stopped by the podcast The Joe Rogan Experience to discuss a variety of topics including his faith. McConaughey is promoting his new autobiography Green Lights.
“We’re making people persona non grata because of something they do that is right now deemed wrong or it’s the hot point in a hot topic right now,” McConaughey told Joe Rogan. “You can’t erase someone’s entire existence. Where the heck does some forgiveness go?”
Matthew McConaughey Said Some Actors Don’t Publicly Reveal Their Faiths
While on the podcast, McConaughey said he hasn’t faced any discrimination in the industry for being a Christian. But he doesn’t “judge” other actors for not publicly revealing their faith.
“I have had moments where I was on stage receiving an award in front of my peers in Hollywood and there were people in the crowd that I have prayed with before dinners, many times,” McConaughey said. “And when I thank God, I saw some of those people go to clap, but then notice that, ‘This could be a bad thing on my resume,’ and then sit back on their hands.”
For instance, the actor thanked God when he accepted the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2014. He said these people chose not to clap because it “wouldn’t bode well for [them] in the future for getting a job or getting votes or what have you.'”
The actor also discussed how he embraced both God and science together as one.
“He has shown me that it’s a scientific fact that gratitude reciprocates,” the actor added. “In the words of the late (British actor) Charlie Laughton, who said, ‘When you got God you got a friend and that friend is you.’ The two are not exclusive. They dance together; they go together, belief and science. I never saw those as contradictions.”
