Matthew McConaughey opens up about his Hollywood comeback; 'Acting is a vacation for me'

Matthew McConaughey is back. The beloved actor and Hollywood icon is starring in "The Rivals of Amziah King," his first film in six years, which is premiering at SXSW Festival. 

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McConaughey is opening up about his return to acting and sharing some of what he missed from his profession. “I remembered a couple of things,” he said to Variety. 

"One, how much I truly enjoy performing. Two, I remembered, 'Hey, McConaughey, you’re pretty damn good at this.' And three, I remembered that acting is a vacation for me. And what I mean by vacation is that when I’m performing, it’s my singular focus."

"Because I’m not multitasking. I’m not compartmentalizing. I’m fully focused on finding the truth of my character.”  

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Why McConaughey decided to take a step back from acting

McConaughey also opened up about the reasons why he decided to quit acting for a bit, citing some of the projects he pursued in his free time, including his best-selling book "Greenlights," a project that he credits as making him a better actor. 

“The memoir was extremely honest and it forced me to be honest with myself,” he said. 

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“It cleared up things you’ve been thinking about for 35 years. And it makes you realize that’s kind of who you are, Matthew. Let’s admit that and shake hands. Bravo. That gave me even more trust in myself, because, you know, there was less to maybe hide about myself. I had shared it. So that’s made it easier for me to be honest as an actor.”

McConaughey also revealed that by stepping away from acting, he was choosing to spend more time with his wife Camila Alves and their children, Levi, Vida, and Livingston. “I needed to write my own story, direct my own story on the page,” said McConaughey.  

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