Matthew McConaughey was on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night and chatted about True Detective, but mostly about Dallas Buyers Club. The movie earned McConaughey his very first Oscar nomination, despite being in the business for decades. He again spoke about his dedication to the role of Ron Woodruff and what he needs in his Oscar speech if he wins.
McConaughey famously lost weight to play Woodruff and he explained that it was all necessary to understand that role and the 1980s, when little was known about HIV and AIDS. Woodruff was a straight man with AIDS at a time when many thought only gays to get the virus.
“Doing that for five months put me in a place where I was able to study and surround myself with everything Ron Woodruff,” McConaughey explained, notes Today.com. He said it was the first time in his life that he was “literally and figuratively hungry.”
“I needed three hours less sleep a night, I had an amazing amount of energy, but it was only ... from the neck up,” McConaughey added.
Kimmel said that he feared McConaughey’s Oscar speech will be disappointing, especially after his Golden Globes speech. “I feel like you wasted your A material on the Golden Globes, and you should've saved it for the Oscars ... you have a lot to live up to,” Kimmel said.
“If I start out with 'all right, all right, all right,' it'll swing back somehow to be 'just keep living' story pitch,” McConaughey said.
Of course, McConaughey might not even have to worry about that. Although his performance was widely praised, he has strong competition. The other nominees include Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street and Chiwetel Ejofour for 12 Years A Slave.
The Oscars are on ABC on March 2 and you can catch McConaughey’s incredible True Detective series on HBO on Sunday nights.
image courtesy of image.net/Photo by Michael Buckner/WireImage
