He left Hollywood and went back to Texas.
Not for a role,
Not for a vacation,
But because something inside him became clear.
At the time,
From the outside,
Everything was working.
Fame,
Money,
Momentum.
He was the character every woman wanted to be with,
And every man wanted to be.
Hollywood loved him for it,
But he wanted a different role,
Drama.
Hollywood pushed back.
Hollywood refused.
Without missing a beat,
The film industry continued to send romantic comedy movie scripts and offers.
And then,
One early 4 a.
M.
Morning,
He woke up.
He described his moment of truth as landing like a butterfly and striking like a lightning bolt.
If he kept saying yes to what he was known for,
He would never become who he was meant to be.
In order to do what he wanted to do,
He had to stop doing what he was doing.
No more rom-coms.
This epiphany was instant,
Unavoidable,
So he stopped.
He told his agent to let the town know.
He would no longer take the roles he was known for.
He was no longer interested in what worked for Hollywood.
He was interested in what was true.
He and his pregnant wife went back to their ranch in Texas and waited.
As time passed,
His wife worried.
He didn't waver.
And then,
A year went by.
No scripts.
No offers.
No reassurance.
His agent hadn't even heard his name.
He stayed in Texas and sat with the uncertainty.
He thought,
What now?
School teacher?
Wildlife guide?
Return to law school?
And then,
After nearly 18 months,
He receives an offer.
Eight million dollars for a romantic action comedy.
He read it,
And he said,
No thank you.
Second offer,
Ten million dollars.
He said,
No thank you.
Third offer,
Twelve million dollars.
He said,
No thank you.
Finally,
Fourteen and a half million dollars.
This time,
He could see himself in the role.
And ultimately,
He said,
No thank you,
To an identity he had outgrown.
After twenty total months,
Hollywood got the message.
The offers he had been waiting for began to arrive.
Killer Joe.
Mudd.
True Detective.
Dallas Buyers Club.
Magic Mike.
His name is Matthew McConaughey.
And none of it would have arrived if he hadn't first drawn a line in the sand and let go of who he used to be.
