Matthew McConaughey shocked Hollywood when he walked away from a paycheck that most actors would never dream of refusing.
The Oscar winner revealed on Steven Bartlett’s podcast The Diary of a CEO that he once turned down $14.5 million because he wanted to change the direction of his career.
Matthew explained that after strong performances in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact and Amistad, Hollywood placed him in back to back romantic comedies.
The Interstellar star starred in hits like The Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Failure to Launch and Ghosts of Girlfriend’s Past.
Despite the success of these films, Matthew said he was not satisfied.
“I was getting quantity, but I wasn’t getting the quality,” he told Bartlett.
“What I want to do is dramas, but Hollywood won’t offer me one, no matter how big a pay cut I take. If I can’t do what I want to do, I’m going to quit doing what I’ve been doing.”
He asked his agent to stop sending him rom com scripts and he later stepped away from the spotlight.
Offers slowed down until one studio tried to lure him back with a new action comedy, as the pay started at $8 million, then rose to $10 million, $12 million and finally $14.5 million.
Matthew admitted he thought about it, but still refused. “I think that me saying no to that $14.5 million offer… sent the message through Hollywood, ‘Oh, McConaughey is not bluffing.'”
However, the risk paid off and by 2011, the iconic star was back with challenging roles in Bernie, Killer Joe and The Lincoln Lawyer.
Matthew went on to star in Mud, Interstellar, True Detective, Dallas Buyers Club and The Gentlemen.
