Matthew McConaughey talks marriage, new movie and country music
Matthew McConaughey in “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Star finds ways to charm gals
LOS ANGELES – Before he presented the entertainer of the year prize to Carrie Underwood at last month’s Academy of Country Music Awards, Matthew McConaughey couldn’t resist regaling the star-studded crowd with a story about using George Strait to pick up chicks.
At a Dwight Yoakam show back in 1987, the actor and his brother impressed women by pretending to be Strait’s exclusive boot maker.
“We said, ‘As a matter of fact, out in the truck of the car, in the parking lot, we have his next year’s unreleased, exclusive signature series white ostrich quill boots, if you want to see ‘em.’ And they’re like, ‘Can we, can we, can we?’… So, the point of the story is we got lucky that night, thank you, George,” McConaughey said, recounting the story at a recent press conference at the Luxe Hotel in Los Angeles.
The tale sounds like the kind of slick lie his character in the new film “The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” might deliver to snare a potential bedmate with a country bent. In the romantic comedy, opening today, McConaughey plays Connor Mead, a celebrity photographer and serial womanizer. When he travels back home for his brother’s wedding, Connor is reunited with his childhood sweetheart (Jennifer Garner) and is visited by a series of spirits intent on showing him the error of his wild ways.
Relating his George Strait escapade for Garner and a roomful of reporters, McConaughey said the story is true and laughed off a comparison between that teenage exploit and his character’s smooth-operating ways.
“That got cut from this (movie),” he joked. “Connor has other stories.”
Director Mark Waters said in a separate press conference that McConaughey was just the kind of guy the filmmakers envisioned for the role.
“It’s the kind of part where you need to have a guy who can be an incredible a – - hole in the beginning of a movie and yet somehow get away with it. Like he’s the kind of guy who could sleep with lots of women and all the women would still kind of like him afterward. … And that’s how Matthew is with women,” Waters said with a laugh.
Long considered one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors, McConaughey, 39, became a dad last summer when his girlfriend, Camila Alves, gave birth to their son, Levi. He and Garner, who has two children with Ben Affleck, said they often talked parenting while working on the movie.
“I give him lists all the time. I’m constantly e-mailing him, ‘Are you doing this? Please, can I have Camila’s direct line because I would like to talk to her about this?’” Garner said with a grin.
The co-stars seemed to share a genuine friendship as the laughed, chatted and joked together, and Garner praised McConaughey before he arrived for the press conference.
“He’s like the nicest, best guy, such a brilliant actor, and I really, really liked him, and I hope to get to work with him again,” she said in a stage whisper as he walked in. “He really is a charming, smart, funny nice guy who has a good sense of humor about himself.”
But McConaughey got serious when asked if he had marriage plans.
“It’s not an institution I’m against at all. I’m actually for it, believe in it and have seen it actually be very, very healthy for many relationships. … It’s just not something I plan on doing right now.”
The actor also said that Carrie Underwood doesn’t need to apologize for her response to his ACM Awards storytelling. During her acceptance speech, the Oklahoma native quipped “I want to see those boots, Matthew. I’m just kidding,” but later expressed regret for the joke.
“I thought that was hilarious, that was a great off-the-cuff comment she made,” he said. “Everyone in the whole stadium laughed. … It was really kind of adorable.”
-BAM
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