Matthew McConaughey, from Globes to Oscars

McCONAUGHEY plays an unlikely health crusader in “Dallas Buyers Club.”

LOS ANGELES—Matthew McConaughey’s grin was priceless when he recently got back his Golden Globe trophy for Best Actor–Drama, this time with his name engraved on it. He looked at the nameplate with unabashed joy after Theo Kingma, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which votes on the Golden Globes, presented the trophy to him. Then Matthew sat down, put the trophy on the table, and talked about his busy awards season, which culminates at the 86th Academy Awards (tomorrow morning, Manila time).

Matthew may also see his name engraved on an Oscar Best Actor statuette eventually. The actor’s compelling portrayal of Ron Woodroof, a real-life Texas electrician who became something of a health crusader after he was diagnosed with AIDS (he smuggled non-FDA-approved drugs from Mexico for himself and those in his condition) in Jean-Marc Vallee’s “Dallas Buyers Club” has enabled him to collect more Best Actor trophies since the Globes.

Each one a surprise

“Each one of them has been a surprise, for sure,” Matthew said in his Texan drawl, of his virtual sweep of the Best Actor races. He was dressed simply in a dress shirt and pants. His and Jared Leto’s acting honors are sweet triumphs for the filmmakers behind “Dallas,” especially for writer Craig Borten, who struggled for 20 years to get his screenplay with Melisa Wallack made into a film. And when filming was finally about to begin, the financing fell apart. Matthew pushed for the production to continue, no matter what.

“I am happy, obviously, to be nominated,” the 43-year-old thespian said. “I have stories about my experience making that film. I can tell these stories forever. I will not get tired of telling them…of being proud and honored with the film that I got to be a part of, the people I got to work with and the story I got to tell. I have said this many times— this is my first time to really be around and relevant this awards season. If it happens again, I don’t know. I am really trying to engage in it and enjoy everything.”

We asked about some pundits’ criticism for not mentioning AIDS in his Golden Globe acceptance speech (but was eloquent in honoring AIDS victims in subsequent acceptance remarks) and Matthew replied: “You have a certain amount of time up there. You know somebody is going to feel like they were left out, whether it’s my mother, or somebody. If I had time, I could talk for an hour and make sure I covered everybody. I’m always going to leave out some name or something. But what’s it about, and my feeling is…I am going to speak from my heart. I have a lot to be thankful for, a lot of people to thank…if I don’t cover them, they know.”

Where are the trophies displayed in the house he shares with his wife, Brazilian model Camilla Alves, and four kids? “We have an island in the house, a bar in the middle of the house,” Matthew said. “That’s where the trophies have been sitting. The kids like to play with them. When I get home, the trophies are usually not always there. They have been moved around by my kids.”

Matthew smiled when asked to recall the moment at the Golden Globes when his name was called, a moment repeated in other awards shows, from the Screen Actors Guild’s to those of various critics groups’. “I remember, particularly with the Golden Globes, Jessica Chastain said, ‘Ma…’ and then I heard applause,” he said. “I remember laying my head back, and going through all the first syllables of all the other nominees’ names. None of them started with ‘Ma…’ That’s when I looked around and stood up.”

He continued, “I did not expect any of it. But I caught myself thinking about the Golden Globes and thinking, what if I do win? What would I say? As I started to think about [that], I quickly thought, get that out of your head. You don’t prepare a speech for something you haven’t won yet.”

Voting member

A voting Academy member himself, Matthew described the kind of films and performances that he goes for: “I am more turned on by examples of real humanity, the closer a film or a story feels to a documentary. For instance, I loved what Paul Thomas (Anderson) did with ‘The Master’ and what Spike (Jonze) did with ‘Her.’ I was like, those two guys (lead characters in the two films) exist. Those are my favorite filmmaking and performances, when I don’t feel the flash of the movie-making and the manipulation. But the whole thing is very director-driven because the directors created this world, set up the rules in this world and created characters that I felt like they exist.”

Matthew is earning acclaim anew in HBO’s new drama series, “True Detective,” where he and his buddy, Woody Harrelson play detectives in Louisiana. About his foray into television, he said, “Today, there’s really no taboo to go and do television. Some of the best dramas have been on television. I was looking for quality. I read the first two episodes and I loved it. I said I was in. I didn’t think about it being on TV.”

Tequila tales

But, he stressed, “This is an eight-part series. It was basically a 450-page film script—six months work, a finite series. I looked at it as doing another film role.”

Matthew and Woody, who played brothers in the  movie “EdTV, ” are both riveting as investigators whose lives intertwine as they try to solve a bizarre crime. In a Variety feature on Matthew, Woody was asked to recall their first meeting at a top agency bash. “He had recently come out in ‘A Time to Kill’ and was the next big thing,” Woody told Variety. “He was very nice. And funny. I asked if he wanted a shot of tequila. He declined, as it was noon and he had a lot to do that day. Then he relented.”

Asked what made him change his mind about having tequila with Woody, Matthew grinned as he quipped, “Woody has that effect on me.” He confirmed Woody’s recollection of that day: “It was like noon and I had stuff to do, places to go.”

How many tequila shots did they end up drinking? “That’s none of your business,” Matthew quipped, laughing. He emphasized, with that killer smile, “But I still did what I had to do that afternoon.”

And what’s his own recollection of that first meeting? “I remember that, instantly, I was going, that is a classic human being right there,” he answered. “I’ve since gotten to know him better. He’s a true original, a great mind and an incredible heart. Over the decades that we have known each other, I can say he is one of the last, true wild men. And I mean a true nature guy.”

Isn’t he a wild man himself? Matthew was once arrested for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia (drugs charges were later dropped). (Police reported that he was dancing around naked and playing bongo drums.) “I don’t know,” he said, still smiling. “You tell me. Maybe I still am, maybe not.”

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