Matthew McConaughey’s career nerves
Matthew McConaughey was terrified about telling his father he wanted to become an actor.
The ‘Gold’ star has recalled the time he confessed to his dad James that he wanted to change direction in his career and go into the film industry.
He said: "I didn’t go down the same path as my family. I was headed towards law school … and I remember being very nervous on the night when I called [my dad] my sophomore year of college to tell him I wanted to change my course direction to go to film school. I really thought he was going to be ‘Not on my dime. Like hell you will.’
"He paused and I remember him saying, ‘Is that what you want to do?’ and I said ‘Yes, sir’ and he paused again and he said, ‘Well, don’t half a** it.’ And that was the end."
And the 47-year-old actor – who has Levi, eight, Vida, seven, and Livingston, four, with his wife Camila Alves – admits his grades suffered because he was so desperate to achieve his Hollywood dream.
He added to CNN: "I had to wear a pager in college … and I’d go, ‘If this pager goes off in the middle of class, I’m going to leave and I’m going to drive to Dallas,’ is where I would drive to go audition for some commercial or ad.
"I remember going to [my teachers] and saying look, I’m doing something to try and get work after I get out of college, would you just give me a C if I miss too many classes? I’ll be there for the major test, just give me a C. I made a lot of C’s."
