Matthew McConaughey was honoured with the 58th American Cinematheque Award at a ceremony in Los Angelese last night (October 21).
The Oscar-winning star of The Dallas Buyers Club will appear in the forthcoming Interstellar and received the award from the film’s director Christopher Nolan
“I’m not a believer in the McConaissance,” Nolan told the audience. “I think Matthew’s success of late is the rest of us catching up to what he’s been doing. I’m very proud to know him.”
He added, “I’ve never worked with an actor so relentless in his pursuit of truth in everything he does. This is a performer who can’t say ‘Pass the salt’ without it being truthful, without it meaning something.”
McConaughey told the BBC his career had changed since his Oscar win. Combined with the success of True Detective it had altered the perception of his acting talents after becoming known primarily for his work in rom-coms like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
“I’ve gotten more scripts and more things that I’m interested in. More dramas have come my way,” revealed the actor. “People RSVP quicker and people say, ‘Yes’ quicker. And I’m only half joking…”
McConaughey continued: “McConaissance is fun to say. I don’t think of it as a rebirth though. I’m just having a wonderful ride and it’s a great moment in my career right now.”
Previous winners of the award – honouring extraordinary contributions to the film industry – include Martin Scorcese, Tom Cruise and Robin Williams.
In Nolan’s space epic Interstellar, McConaughey plays Coop. He leads a team of explorers undertaking the most important mission in human history. The film’s synopsis has revealed they must “travel beyond this galaxy to discover whether mankind has a future among the stars”. The film is released in cinemas November 7.