Known for his all-American good looks and sense of humor, Matthew McConaughey has transformed himself into one of the most popular actors in Hollywood. Born in 1969, McConaughey first came to fame on the silver screen for his role in the 1993 blockbuster hit "Dazed and Confused." McConaughey went on to star in popular romantic comedies, such as "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," "Failure to Launch," and "Fool's Gold."
Anderson: You're with CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN. It's just after a quarter to the hour. As promised, here's the man who makes women swoon across the globe. Take a look at this.
Anderson (voice-over): With his rugged good looks and southern drawl, Matthew McConaughey is one of the film world's greatest heartthrobs. Since first stepping onto the silver screen in the 1993 cult classic "Dazed and Confused," McConaughey has cemented his role as a Hollywood golden boy.
He's starred in a series of blockbusters, and is usually accompanied by a bevy of beautiful co-stars. But his own leading lady is Brazilian model Camila Alves. The couple, who have two young kids, have become a paparazzi favorite in Los Angeles.
Off the screen, the proud Texan is known for his love of sport and has become a big proponent of physical fitness in schools. In 2009, he started the j.k. livin foundation, an organization that offers free after-school fitness programs to teenagers in public schools.
Well, I caught up with him while he was visiting a local school's gym and asked why he chose to get involved.
Matthew McConaughey: I was looking for something to do with
kids, and then I thought back to my own life, my high school years as being sort of those crossroads years where you're still young enough to where you've got to kind of listen to your teacher, your parents and such, but you're about to gain your independence and make your own decisions.
And as we all know, once you get out on your own, the consequences of life hit a little big harder. So I said, "Let's go to Title I schools. Schools that need it, schools that don't have an after-school program, place for kids to go, and let's give them a place to go exercise, learn some things about nutrition on a budget. Teach them how to make some healthy choices in their lives, not just in nutrition and exercise, but
also life choices.
Anderson: Matthew, give me some examples of stories that you think are really moving.
McConaughey: There was one girl that wanted to go to the prom. And it was months before the prom, and she couldn't fit in her prom dress. So she said, "I'm not going to go to the prom." Well, she started the program and started exercising anyway. Worked her body down to a size where she fit in her prom dress, and she went to the prom.
You've got some other kids that were not even runners who, next week - we've got over 30 kids that are going to be running a half marathon.
Anderson: Listen. Jason asks, "Was your interest in schooling
encouraged by having your own kids, Matthew?"
McConaughey: They sort of happened part and parcel. I think I
started the foundation before I had my own kids. But the kids, now that I have, give more reason and more resonance to having the foundation for
sure.
Anderson: I know your kids are little at this point, but have you got them involved in the program in any way?
McConaughey: Not yet. (LAUGHTER)
McConaughey: Not yet. They've come down here with us to a few -- to the school a few times. But they're not really that involved at 9 months and 26 months.
Anderson: All right, fair enough. Listen, Andrela's got a question,
and it's pretty much this. She says, "With all this celeb -- celebtacracy around," celebrities getting involved in philanthropy, she says, "does it really work, or is it just a fad?"
McConaughey: You know, a lot of people choose to do their charitable work silently, whether it's through donations or complete anonymity. Others, like myself, are choosing to do it and say, hey, you know what? I'm in a position to be a bit of a voice box, to have a platform to come talk to you and show you what we're doing, and I think it's worth sharing.
But I think it's -- I think there's a lot of people doing a lot of
giving, as far as celebrities go. But there's much more, I think, media attention to it now. And I think that's a good thing.
Anderson: Good stuff. Lewis has written to us, Matthew. He says,
"You've always seemed like a pretty low-key guy who enjoys surfing and hanging out more than the glitz -- "
McConaughey: Yes.
Anderson: "And the glamor of Hollywood. Is this true, and do you
find it hard to balance a normal life with a celebrity life?" he asks.
McConaughey: Sure, it's a challenging balance at times. But I've
been doing it for a while, so you get better at it, you know? And it's now -- it's not my life and then a celebrity life. I have my life, and I happen to be a celebrity. So, which comes first? I have my life first, but I'm also a celebrity.
So, I think when I started looking at those two as one instead of two different things, it became a lot easier. But there's a -- it's
challenging at times, but it's not something that's not handleable.
Anderson: Well done, you. Listen, there are millions of people
watching tonight who want to know what Matthew is up to next.
McConaughey: Can I talk about some movies?
Anderson: Absolutely.
McConaughey: We've got a thing called "Lincoln Lawyer." "Lincoln
Lawyer," I'm back in the courtroom. It's been since "A Time to Kill." I'm back in the courtroom on late March in the Unites States here, so we should be over there in your land pretty soon after that. And then, I've got a couple other things coming up. I'm about to go do a movie called "Bernie" with a friend of mine, Richard Linklater, who I did "Dazed and Confused" with.
And then I'll do a film called "Killer Joe" this fall. And then,
hopefully in January, March, February, I'll be going to make the fourth one in a row.
So, I've been out of it for a couple of years, raised a -- made a
family and raised a family. Now, I'm getting back into it, I'm going to give you something to see.
Known for his all-American good looks and sense of humor, Matthew McConaughey has transformed himself into one of the most popular actors in Hollywood. Born in 1969, McConaughey first came to fame on the silver screen for his role in the 1993 blockbuster hit "Dazed and Confused." McConaughey went on to star in popular romantic comedies, such as "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," "Failure to Launch," and "Fool's Gold."
Anderson: You're with CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN. It's just after a quarter to the hour. As promised, here's the man who makes women swoon across the globe. Take a look at this.
Anderson (voice-over): With his rugged good looks and southern drawl, Matthew McConaughey is one of the film world's greatest heartthrobs. Since first stepping onto the silver screen in the 1993 cult classic "Dazed and Confused," McConaughey has cemented his role as a Hollywood golden boy.
He's starred in a series of blockbusters, and is usually accompanied by a bevy of beautiful co-stars. But his own leading lady is Brazilian model Camila Alves. The couple, who have two young kids, have become a paparazzi favorite in Los Angeles.
Off the screen, the proud Texan is known for his love of sport and has become a big proponent of physical fitness in schools. In 2009, he started the j.k. livin foundation, an organization that offers free after-school fitness programs to teenagers in public schools.
Well, I caught up with him while he was visiting a local school's gym and asked why he chose to get involved.
Matthew McConaughey: I was looking for something to do with
kids, and then I thought back to my own life, my high school years as being sort of those crossroads years where you're still young enough to where you've got to kind of listen to your teacher, your parents and such, but you're about to gain your independence and make your own decisions.
And as we all know, once you get out on your own, the consequences of life hit a little big harder. So I said, "Let's go to Title I schools. Schools that need it, schools that don't have an after-school program, place for kids to go, and let's give them a place to go exercise, learn some things about nutrition on a budget. Teach them how to make some healthy choices in their lives, not just in nutrition and exercise, but
also life choices.
Anderson: Matthew, give me some examples of stories that you think are really moving.
McConaughey: There was one girl that wanted to go to the prom. And it was months before the prom, and she couldn't fit in her prom dress. So she said, "I'm not going to go to the prom." Well, she started the program and started exercising anyway. Worked her body down to a size where she fit in her prom dress, and she went to the prom.
You've got some other kids that were not even runners who, next week - we've got over 30 kids that are going to be running a half marathon.
Anderson: Listen. Jason asks, "Was your interest in schooling
encouraged by having your own kids, Matthew?"
McConaughey: They sort of happened part and parcel. I think I
started the foundation before I had my own kids. But the kids, now that I have, give more reason and more resonance to having the foundation for
sure.
Anderson: I know your kids are little at this point, but have you got them involved in the program in any way?
McConaughey: Not yet. (LAUGHTER)
McConaughey: Not yet. They've come down here with us to a few -- to the school a few times. But they're not really that involved at 9 months and 26 months.
Anderson: All right, fair enough. Listen, Andrela's got a question,
and it's pretty much this. She says, "With all this celeb -- celebtacracy around," celebrities getting involved in philanthropy, she says, "does it really work, or is it just a fad?"
McConaughey: You know, a lot of people choose to do their charitable work silently, whether it's through donations or complete anonymity. Others, like myself, are choosing to do it and say, hey, you know what? I'm in a position to be a bit of a voice box, to have a platform to come talk to you and show you what we're doing, and I think it's worth sharing.
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