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Matthew McConaughey Talks About Working on The Rivals of Amziah King; Calls It ‘A Beautiful Love Story’
A Tale of Family, Redemption, and the Chaos of the Southwest.
Matthew McConaughey describes The Rivals of Amziah King as a film that blends crime, drama, and heartfelt storytelling into what he calls “a beautiful love story.” During an interview at Deadline’s SXSW Studio, McConaughey, alongside director Andrew Patterson and co-stars Angelina LookingGlass, Cole Sprouse, Rob Morgan, Jake Horowitz, and Tony Revolori, shared insights into the film’s themes, setting, and the experience of bringing this unique story to life.a
Set against the backdrop of rural Oklahoma, The Rivals of Amziah King follows McConaughey’s character, a charismatic and musically gifted man who runs a honey-making business while leading a group of outcasts. His life takes an unexpected turn when his estranged foster daughter, Kateri (played by LookingGlass), reappears after years apart. As they attempt to reconnect and build something together, Amziah faces opposition from ruthless rivals who threaten everything he holds dear.
For McConaughey, the father-daughter dynamic at the heart of the film was one of the main reasons he signed on. “She comes in, and I try to help her, in fable terms, go from a princess to a queen,” he explained. “And it’s a beautiful love story.”
LookingGlass, making her acting debut, was deeply moved by the script. “Something I really liked in the script is just the bond they rekindle after so many years,” she shared. “Amziah hadn’t seen her since she was eight years old.”
Director Andrew Patterson sought to create an authentic depiction of Oklahoma and its people. “I hadn’t seen something that actually took place with the kind of people I grew up around,” he noted. “So our goal was to celebrate all things in that world—from country-fried food to accidents that turn into friendships to what happens when everybody has to pull off something special for each other.”
McConaughey was drawn to both Patterson’s vision and the chance to portray such a layered character. “Amziah King, he’s a legend of a dude, 100 percent,” McConaughey said. “He’s a giver of belonging, and all those misfits we’re talking about—Amziah’s just a guy who gives them a home. And then he is reunited with one of his foster kids from the past, and shepherding her from a princess to a queen—I thought that was just a beautiful fable in the middle of all this wild anarchy.”
Despite being a newcomer, LookingGlass impressed both McConaughey and Patterson with her raw performance. “I’ve worked with non-actors before, and if they’re good non-actors, they do something that us actors can forget to do when we learn how to act,” McConaughey said. “She didn’t know how to ‘act.’ She knew how to listen and give you an honest answer.”
Patterson echoed this sentiment, adding, “She absolutely knew how to change the nuance of what was going on in each moment. She knew how to find the core of the scene, she knew how to find the emotional honesty.”
With its powerful themes of redemption, familial bonds, and survival in an unforgiving world, The Rivals of Amziah Kingpromises to be an unforgettable cinematic experience. As McConaughey, LookingGlass, and the rest of the cast bring this story to life under Patterson’s direction, audiences can expect a visually striking and emotionally resonant film that celebrates both the beauty and chaos of the Southwest.
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