Matthew McConaughey Describes The “Initiation Process” Of Hollywood

54-year-old Matthew McConaughey has been immersed in Hollywood for over three decades now. What he has seen in that time has led him to feel that Hollywood has an initiation process of sorts, but, in his opinion, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

McConaughey made his big break with a celebrated performance in 1993’s coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused before proving himself as a leading man three years later in A Time to Kill. Looking back on ups and downs both in his personal life and career, McConaughey has some musings on advice that actors ought to have had—advice he wonders why he didn’t receive much sooner.

Matthew McConaughey recalls his experience in Hollywood and the initiation process that’s part of the industry

For his part, McConaughey started off searching for a career with a Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film before considering becoming a lawyer—the age-old question of what to do for work truly is a unifying force. His first step into on-screen appearances came through commercials. Everything gradually snowballed from there.

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The early days of his filmography included small roles like Guy 2. Now, he’s an Academy Award winner with permanent heartthrob status next to his name. The overall trajectory of McConaughey’s career hasn’t always been an upward slope, though.

“I, like anyone, have had my ups and downs,” he told PEOPLE. “My star meter has been higher, my star meter has been lower. I’ve won Oscars, I’ve been arrested playing the bongos naked. Overall, I believe there’s been inherent goodwill for me, but it did not keep me from figuring out my own initiation into the industry.”

Just what has all of this taught the Wedding Planner star?

A heads-up could have gone a long way

“There’s a lot of things you learn 10 years after being in Hollywood and you go, “Well, why didn’t they tell me that in year two?'” wondered McConaughey. “Because there’s an initiation process,” he answered, continuing, “There just is.”

That initiation process amounts, in significant part, to a bunch of trial and error. McConaughey explained, “You can get tips, but you’ve got to figure out the BS, cut the wheat from the chaff along the way.”

In his interview with PEOPLE, McConaughey was asked what he would tell his younger self as a word of warning or advice coming into this patented Hollywood initiation process.

“Oh, I wouldn’t tell him,” said McConaughey. “I’d let him figure it out the same way I did. Take feeder roads off the highway. Get confused, get frustrated, feel lost, and overcome it.”

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