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'That Line Would Precede Me For the Rest of My Life': Matthew McConaughey Gets Candid About THIS Iconic Phrase
Matthew McConaughey reflects on the lasting impact of his iconic Alright, Alright, Alright catchphrase from Dazed and Confused, acknowledging its enduring significance in his life and career.
Three decades have breezed by since Matthew McConaughey casually dropped his now-famous "Aright, alright, alright" line in the 1993 hit Dazed and Confused. Ever since then, those three words have been like his shadow, trailing him everywhere he goes. It's like they've taken on a life of their own, becoming synonymous with McConaughey's laid-back, life-loving vibe.
Those words were the very first he ever spoke on camera, and they've stuck around like glue since. He even whipped them out again during his big moment at the 2014 Academy Awards when he snagged the Best Actor trophy for Dallas Buyers Club. Talk about timeless catchphrases, right? It's like they're part of McConaughey's DNA now, just chilling there, waiting for the perfect moment to pop up and make us all smile.
Imagine being Matthew McConaughey, 54, and realizing that three simple words you improvised on the fly would become your constant companions for life.
"I had no idea that that line would precede me for the rest of my life," McConaughey, 54, tells PEOPLE in an interview for this week’s 50th anniversary special issue. "People ask me all the time, 'Are you tired of that preceding you?' And I'm like, 'Hell, no.' "
Nope, it was a spur-of-the-moment creation as McConaughey tried to get into character during his very first gig. He's cruising in his car, trying to impress Marissa Ribisi's character, and boom. Out comes this iconic line, straight from the depths of his improvisational genius.
"Aright, alright, alright" wasn’t even in the original Dazed and Confused script, and instead was the real-time brainchild of the actor finding his character on his first job.
"That [came] out of my mouth in a scene that I was never supposed to be in, that was never written," recalls the star.
In the heat of the moment, McConaughey admits he was "starting to get a little nervous" as he delved into the depths of his character.
Reflecting on how the catchphrase came to be, he recounts, "I started to go, Well, who's my man? Who's Wooderson? I said, Wooderson loves his car, and I'm like, well, I'm in my car. There's one. I said, Wooderson loves rock and roll... well, I got Ted Nugent in the 8-track. There's two. I said, Wooderson loves to get high, and I'm like, well, Slater's riding shotgun. He's always got a doobie rolled up."
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So, there he is, McConaughey in the zone, getting into character as Wooderson. "Then I said Wooderson likes picking up chicks," he recalls. And just like that, the director calls "Action!" As he shifts into drive, he's on a mission to complete the picture of his character. "I got three out of four," he thinks to himself, "and I'm gonna nail the fourth." And there it is, like magic: "Alright, alright, alright." Three affirmations, one for each aspect of Wooderson's vibe, as he heads off to conquer. It's like the ultimate kick-starter, launching McConaughey's career into the stratosphere.
But even now, all these years later, that line still holds a special place in his heart. "Every time I hear it," he says with a grin, "I'm reminded that those were the first three words I ever uttered on film, over 30 years ago." And you know what? He takes it as the ultimate compliment. It's like a little nod to where it all began, a reminder of the journey from those early days to the Hollywood heavyweight he is today.
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