McConaughey: Good Looks and Much More
McConaughey has been compared to charismatic Paul Newman and Tom Cruise but it’s quite obvious that the man’s waving his own brand. He first attracted the public’s eye in a film that he made – Dazed and Confused. He’s got an adorable southern twang and an almost boyish allure that no woman “could put asunder”. In fact he was voted Most Handsome Guy by his senior class.
A Texan by birth, McConaughey was born in Uvalde on November 4, 1969. He was raised in Longview and his father was a teacher and ex-member of the Green Bay Packers. While he was in high school, he excelled in sports and when he graduated, he took off and spent time in Australia before returning to his native state to enroll at the University of Texas in Austin. He finished his degree in film production and was soon introduced to Linklater who cast him in Dazed and Confused. Following that stint, he played supporting roles in various films like Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Lone Star and a Time to Kill. Even if these films got average reviews, McConaughey nevertheless attracted movieland. Some minor roles followed, but he landed his first starring role in Amistad as a lawyer. He also appeared in the films, Contact and the Newton Boys. For awhile, he had receded from the public limelight and critics were saying that despite his good looks and acting talent, he had trouble finding roles that would do him justice and bring out his best talents.
McConaughey did come back with positive reviews. In 1999, he was arrested for making noise with his bongos and was charged with drug use. The charges were later dropped because there was no warrant. In 2002, he starred with Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner which the public warmly embraced. He was therefore able to maintain public attention, despite the fact that there were rumors he was a man who tended to act in strange ways. His next film was How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days opposite Kate Hudson. Then in 2005, he did DJ Caruso’s gambling thriller, Two for the Money, where he starred as Brandon Lang with a clever ability of picking winners. It received mixed reviews. McConaughey actually did better in Failure to Launch, a film where he stars with Sarah Jessica Parker about a spoiled 30-something guy who would not leave his parents’ home.
McConaughey is scheduled to appear in several films for 2006 and 2007