The Rivals of Amziah King: Matthew McConaughey Reveals WHY He Decided to Return to the Screen After 6 Years of Hiatus

Matthew McConaughey returns to the screens six years after his acting hiatus. The actor is set to appear in the new movie, The Rivals of Amziah King. Read the details below.

Written by Rashi Desai , Entertainment Journalist

Updated on Mar 10, 2025 | 08:09 AM GMT | 8.2K

Matthew McConaughey via Getty Images

Matthew McConaughey returns to the screens after six years of acting hiatus. The Wedding Planner star stepped on to the sets of The Rivals of Amziah King on the first day with a swollen eye from a bee sting. To break the ice with the cast and crew members of the show, the actor pulled out a trick with a question.

McConaughey raised his hand and asked, “Is anybody else nervous except for me?” As the teammates burst into laughter, the actor too said, “Alright, alright, alright, I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t the only one.”

While it was a good joke to crack on the first day of work, the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days star stated in his memoir that he did feel “creaky” to step on the sets after a break of six years.

Speaking of his time in front of the camera, the actor wrote, “I needed to write my own story and direct my own story on the page.”

McConaughey revealed that he planned to return in front of the camera for the script written by Andrew Patterson, which drew him back to work. The movie star claimed that he was attracted to the originality and the strong sense of place. He further added that the character fit him perfectly.

Elaborating on the statements, the actor said, “It’s not where I grew up, but I know of these kinds of people and these places and these kinds of characters that live in the middle of the country.”

He continued to mention, “This group of people in southeast Oklahoma where the film takes place know the Constitution; they know the rules they are living by, and they’re not looking for or getting approval from the rest of the world. I understand them.”

Patterson, who worked on the project for hours together, revealed that there could have been none other than Matthew McConaughey to play the part of Amziah King in the movie.