Matthew McConaughey fled to Peru for 22 days during the beginning of his fame to fight the “demons” he was battling.
On Tuesday’s episode of the “No Magic Pill” podcast, McConaughey told host Blake Mycoskie that he went by “Mateo” during his three-week solo journey.
McConaughey said when he became famous, he thought, “No strangers do I meet anymore…the world is a mirror. I was questioning… which part’s real and which part’s bulls—t.” This made the star jet off to find himself.
He packed his journals, water, steak and tequila before going out in the middle of nowhere to find himself.
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY SAYS HE TURNS INTO A ‘JUDGMENTAL D–K’ REWATCHING HIS MOVIES
“Went to a place that had no electricity in the middle of the desert where I was locked in with nothing but me and who I’ve been in my past or my diaries,” he said.
“The first 12 days were wonky,” McConaughey admitted. “And then the last 10 days were great. I was at the place long enough to go, I could live this.”
“There’s an initiation period when we go away with ourselves. Yes. Where the demons on our back, man are, are dancing and having a good time at our expense, where the guilt can get really heavy. The shame can get heavy,” he continued.
The “Interstellar” star admitted that he initially did not enjoy his own company.
“I do not enjoy my own company… at first. For me, it’s around day 12… that’s when the breakthrough comes,” he said.
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McConaughey told Mycoskie that his solo trip was similar to a psychedelic journey like ayahuasca.
“We pull the parachute too early… If it gets hot, we can handle breaking a sweat,” he said.
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McConaughey’s early career took off in the early 1990s with small roles, but he gained significant attention with his breakout performance as the easygoing David Wooderson in “Dazed and Confused” (1993). His relaxed charisma and memorable line, “Alright, alright, alright,” made him stand out and helped establish his screen presence.
McConaughey became widely famous in 1996 after starring in “A Time to Kill,” where his role as a passionate young lawyer showcased his dramatic abilities and turned him into a leading man in Hollywood.
