Matthew McConaughey & Cigars

If you remember Matthew McConaughey from his early role in the high school coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused, it’s interesting to know that he almost didn’t get the part because director Richard Linklater considered McConaughey “too handsome.” Well, don’t worry, everything seems to have worked out for McConaughey. His good looks don’t seem to have held him back. His acting chops, sometimes underestimated, continue to impress in a variety of roles. Among my favorites, in addition to the one in 1996’s Lone Star, is one he plays in real life: McConaughey is a true cigar lover.

Matthew McConaughey’s Favorite Cigar

McConaughey’s preferred cigar is the Cuban Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill. The native Texan explained that he generally likes to light up on the golf course and to relax.

“There’s a ritual about smoking a cigar that slows my clock down,” McConaughey, 54, told Cigar Aficionado. “I’m a busy guy—so I like the chance to slow that clock down.” When not on the links, McConaughey likes to sip bourbon or port with his cigar. He has been the creative director (and spokesperson) for Wild Turkey bourbon since 2016.

McConaughey Wins an Oscar

In 2013, McConaughey played the role of a rodeo rider in Dallas Buyers Club. The character has AIDS, and McConaughey lost 50 pounds to make it all look real. For that portrayal, McConaughey received the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Drama, and numerous other awards. That, and other serious roles, proved a turning point to weightier parts in McConaughey’s career. Some have called it the “McConaissance.” McConaughey has appeared in more than 50 films. Of course, not everything he’s done has been a hit.

The Lincoln Commercials

In 2014, McConaughey began a multi-year collaboration with the Lincoln Motor Company to produce an ad campaign. McConaughey had been named a few months before as one of Time magazine's 100 “Most Influential People in the World.” McConaughey is behind the wheel in whatever model Lincoln is promoting and telling a story. Kind of riffing. One month after the ads began, Lincoln’s sales were up 25 percent. Of course, the ads are so McConaughey and stylized that parody followed. Ellen DeGeneres, Conan O’ Brien, Jim Carrey, South Park, and Saturday Night Live all had a go at McConaughey’s perhaps overly pensive performance in the ads. As they say, however, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

The McConaughey Credo

McConaughey says he lives by a simple approach: “Be a gentleman and don’t lie.” (Yeah, you thought it was gonna be “Alright, alright, alright!”)