When you think of Matthew McConaughey, many thoughts course through your mind. His signature catchphrase is "All right, all right, all right." He currently stars in some pretty weird Lincoln commercials. And now, he's heading off to space in the new Christopher Nolan film Interstellar, which opened in theaters on Nov. 5.
But what McConaughey should really be known for is his facial hair. The actor has sported many different looks throughout his 20-year career, which included everything from some stubble to a full-blown beard. In fact, McConaughey had facial hair for many of his best and most memorable roles. Coincidence? I think not.
Right now, we are in the midst of the "McConnaissance" where every role McConaughey touches seems to turn gold. However, McConaughey didn't always have this luck, and quite famously so. Did what he wore on his face have something to do with that? Here's a very scientific examination of McConaughey's many hirsute roles.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
The thin mustache McConaughey grew for one of his first movie roles in Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused must have been powerful. Not only did it help McConaughey give one of the most memorable performances of his career, but it also helped spawn his "All right, all right, all right" catchphrase, which he first said in this film.
Glory Daze (1995)
Shortly after, McConaughey added a goatee to accompany his mustache to play the role of a smarmy salesman simply named Rental Truck Guy in Glory Daze starring Ben Affleck, who also had some pretty awful-looking facial hair. I don't know what's worse: McConaughey's ugly plaid jacket or this movie.
Larger Than Life (1996)
McConaughey scrapped the goatee, which didn't really work out for him, and opted for a mustache/soul patch combo in the Bill Murray-led (er, elephant-led?) family comedy Larger Than Life. Unfortunately, this was yet another lowlight of McConaughey's career.
Scorpion Spring (1996)
McConaughey has some slight yet noticeable stubble in this crime thriller, but he doesn't even look like himself. He would probably like to keep it that way since this movie was far from a hit.
Amistad (1997)
OK, McConaughey. You've hit a bit of a rough patch in trying to get your career to take off, but here's where you turn things around. Clean slate, or rather, clean face. Well, sort of. McConaughey played lawyer Roger Sherman Baldwin in Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-nominated movie Amistad, and he did so with some mutton chops. It was a bold, new look for McConaughey, but it paid off.
Edtv (1999)
McConaughey donned a thin beard in Edtv, which was one of his first major leading roles in a movie and also a generally underrated film, in my opinion. Plus, Edtv also kickstarted the wonderful on-screen companionship between McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, which we would later be very thankful for.
Reign of Fire (2002)
Fire-breathing dragons and a bald and fully-bearded McConaughey? No thank you. I think half the reason people love How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days so much is because we didn't have to stare at this any longer.
Sahara (2005)
Nothing was really special about McConaughey's darker look for Sahara or the film itself, really.
Fool's Gold (2008)
McConaughey reunited with his How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days co-star Kate Hudson in this 2008 action-adventure rom-com. The bit of golden stubble McConaughey wore in the movie was the only way we could tell the two a part.
Eastbound & Down (2010 to 2012)
McConaughey played pro baseball sports agent Roy McDaniel on Danny McBride's HBO series. His mustache was kind of creepy-looking, and he also delivered one of the most uncomfortable prayers you'll ever hear, so there you go.
Mud (2012)
McConaughey brought back his stubble, but this time it must have given him super-human acting abilities because this drama was a turning point in his career, transforming him from just another pretty face into an act-tor.
Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Now that McConaughey has won the 2014 Academy Award for "Best Actor" for his performance about an AIDS patient's fight for survival, he basically can't do another project without having a handlebar mustache. It is what long hair was to Samson.
True Detective (2014)
See what I mean about handlebar mustaches for McConaughey? Also, note that McConaughey reunited with his Edtv co-star Harrelson for this HBO series, which earned both of them 2014 Emmy nominations.
So what have we learned today, kids? Wearing facial hair in a movie or TV show doesn't guarantee success for McConaughey, but it comes pretty darn close. In most of McConaughey's more comedic, action-packed or serious roles, he has worn some sort of facial hair, whether it's just a bit of scruff to give him an edge or a bushy beard or manly mustache to truly transform him into the character.
However, for the vast majority of McConaughey's rom-coms, for which he is also well known, a clean-shaven face is a must because women hate facial hair.
Now in McConaughey's latest film Interstellar, his face is smooth once again. I'm skeptical of McConaughey's choice of abandoning the handlebar mustache since it has been working so well for him lately.
Early reviews of the film are mixed, with critics either astonished by the film or not really getting it. Let's just say I wouldn't be surprised if we saw McConaughey growing out his whiskers for his next movie role.
