Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey has starred in movies like A Time to Kill, Dallas Buyers Club, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and The Wolf of Wall Street. His incredible career has spanned 40 feature films that have grossed over $1 billion dollars. Now he’s adding author to his credits with his new memoir, Greenlights. On this episode, Matthew shares the unconventional wisdom he’s learned. We talk about his sudden rise to fame, the self-imposed two-year hiatus from Hollywood that changed the course of his career, and the legacy he wants to leave behind. It’s a conversation about how to catch more “greenlights” and realize that the yellows and reds eventually turn green too.
Follow Matthew: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Show Notes
- How Matthew’s journals became the foundation for his memoir, Greenlights (2:25)
- Get comfortable taking risks (8:18)
- How to balance persistence with knowing when to take a new approach (9:37)
- The work is in the prework– how Matthew prepares for a role (11:15)
- The power in staying present (“Don’t play the game in the third person.”) (17:00)
- Maintain a long view and have patience with yourself (19:50)
- Eliminate the “no’s” so you can get clear on the “yes” (23:24)
- Matthew’s 20-month hiatus from Hollywood after he decided not to take any offers for romantic comedies (25:51)
- How “unbranding” himself changed the course of his acting career (27:56)
- The clarity that helped Matthew get through that period of not working (29:37)
- “Be less impressed and more involved.” (32:50)
- His approach to journaling (37:28)
- What do you want to be relevant for? (39:58)
- The legacy he wants to leave behind (43:23)
- How fatherhood and marriage has changed him (44:07)
- What he told his kids after winning the Oscar for best actor (48:48)
- The 10 life goals Matthew wrote in 1992 that he found 28 years later (50:20)
- What he’s learned about himself in 2020 (51:56)
Resources / People Mentioned
- Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
- Matthew McConaughey’s Oscars speech for Best Actor
- Dazed and Confused
- A Time to Kill
- Dallas Buyers Club
- How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
- The Wolf of Wall Street
- just keep livin’ foundation
- Austin FC, MLS
- The Lincoln Lawyer
- Killer Joe
- Mud
- True Detective
- Magic Mike
- Camila Alves McConaughey
- Shia LeBeouf, actor
- The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
- John Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods
- Marc Benioff, founder and CEO of Salesforce
Recommended For You
Did you enjoy this episode? Then listen to:
- Whole Foods Founder & CEO John Mackey on The 9 Ingredients of Conscious Leadership
- Ryan Holiday on How to Turn Obstacles into Advantages
- Dabo Swinney on Leading from the Heart
Thanks for checking out Game Changers with Molly Fletcher. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app and leave a rating or review!
