When actors are cast as superheroes in films and TV shows, which seems to be a thing that happens more and more often as Marvel Studios and its ilk continue to pump out projects, you hear stories about how these people have a deep affection for the characters, with some pointing to how they grew up appreciating the heroes quite a bit. Recently, you have someone like Tom Holland, who has pictures of himself as a kid wearing Spider-Man clothing, for example. However, not every actor that has a love for a superhero gets to inhabit that character on screen, such as the situation with Matthew McConaughey and the Hulk.
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Speaking on the “Happy. Sad. Confused.” podcast, McConaughey revealed that he’s a huge fan of the ‘70s “Incredible Hulk” TV series starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. It’s apparently a show that he grew up loving and a character that he actually wanted to play in some capacity on the big screen. But apparently, the studio wasn’t having it.
When asked if he ever approached people about playing the Hulk in a film, McConaughey replied simply, “Yep.” He was then pushed to explain what happened when he offered up his services for the role.
The Oscar-winning actor replied, “They said, ‘No, thank you.’”
As for when this happened and for what film is unknown. Obviously, he might not necessarily be talking about the current MCU iteration of the character which originally starred Edward Norton, who was replaced by Mark Ruffalo. There’s a chance he’s also talking about when Eric Bana had the role in the Universal film, “Hulk,” which was directed by Ang Lee.
Regardless, you can’t help but imagine McConaughey in the role as Bruce Banner. He’s perhaps not the first guy you’d think would be the right guy to play the scientist who gets angry and turns into a big, green monster. However, he’s proven that he’s a very gifted actor that can bring all sorts of unique takes to a character, so he very well could surprise us.
Here’s the entire episode, if you want to listen to the conversation. (The ‘Hulk’ discussion starts at the 39-minute mark.)