The once-unstoppable McConaissance has taken a few blows recently. After years in the rom-com wilderness, Matthew McConaughey had a run of terrific movies in the early part of this decade, with “Bernie,” “Killer Joe,” “Mud,” “Magic Mike” and “The Wolf Of Wall Street” all putting the star firmly back on the A-list, culminating in HBO phenomenon “True Detective,” and the actor winning an Oscar for his lead performance in “Dallas Buyers Club.”
Since then, though things have been a little more mixed: “Interstellar” was the biggest hit of McConaughey’s career, but “The Sea Of Trees” got some of the worst reviews in the history of Cannes, and this week’s “Free State Of Jones” had had a middling response too (stay tuned for our review). There’s promising stuff on the way, including potential franchise-starter “The Dark Tower,” but it’s perhaps unsurprising that McConaughey says he’s been mulling a return to one of his best known roles.
Appearing on The Rich Elsen Show yesterday (via Entertainment Weekly), McConaughey was asked about “True Detective,” and says that he’s talked to creator Nic Pizzolatto about potentially returning to the role of existential detective Rust Cohle at some point. “It would have to be the right context, the right way,” McConaughey said. “I miss Rust Cohle, man. I miss watching him on Sunday nights. I miss watching ‘True Detective’ on Sunday nights. I was a happy man when we made that for six months.”
Last we heard, it was said to be more likely that Pizzolatto would be writing a new show for HBO rather than another “True Detective” run, with the second season said to have tarnished the brand (though given HBO’s current turmoil, including the cancellation of “Vinyl” yesterday, who knows if that still stands?). But a potential return of McConaughey could only help things along, if the creator can find the right way to integrate him. And the star certainly seems keen on returning to TV at some point. “You’re actually getting better quality dramas on the small screen today than you ever have been. A lot better than the big screen sometimes.”
Speaking of, “Free State Of Jones” is in theaters from Friday. Watch McConaughey’s interview below.