Matthew McConaughey's Father Inspired His Role in “Gold” — “He Loved a Shady Deal”

ABC/Paula Lobo(NEW YORK) — Matthew McConaughey’s new movie Gold is based on a real-life event: a down on his luck businessman named Kenny Wells, who travels to Indonesia in search of gold after literally having a dream about striking paydirt there.

“He’s one of those guys like millions of people in America that … were never given a ticket to the front row of the American dream,” the 47-year-old Oscar winner tells ABC Radio, “and they’re gonna have to hustle, and by any means necessary finagle their way into the back door…”

On Good Morning America, McConaughey said his father inspired his character and actions in his upcoming film.

“A lot of my father was in this role. A lot of the people my father dealt with [are] in this role,” he explained. “I remember my dad would take me around the country when I was 12, and we’d go office to office to collect from people that owed him money. When you bring your 12-year-old son, you shame some people into paying you back.”

“And also, he loved a shady deal,” the actor said of his dad. “He’d much rather overpay for a hot watch behind an abandoned strip mall than he would go and actually buy the watch. It didn’t matter if he got took or whatever. He loved it.”

The Texas native also had to gain 40 pounds for the role, which he said was “more fun” than losing weight for a film, allowing himself to eat “whatever, whenever” he, “wanted to eat or drink for six months, at any time of day.”

His favorite indulgence? “Mainly cheeseburgers and beer,” he added with a smile. “I never got tired of it. I thought I was going to get lethargic. I thought I wasn’t going to sleep well, I thought I was going to lose energy. And I learned another lesson on this thing: The only reason you get tired of indulging like that is when you think of quitting.”

“I mean, I didn’t even take the stairs to the second floor. It was fun.” 

Gold hits theaters nationwide Jan. 27. 

Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

 

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