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There we go. Now we're in the mud.
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>> [laughter] >> Hey, what's going on everybody?
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For First We Feast, I'm Sean Evans and you're watching Hot Ones.
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It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings.
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And today we're joined by Matthew McConaughey.
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He's Oscar award-winning actor, tequila purveyor, and New York Times number one best seller to prove the point.
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Pantalones is his premium organic tequila brand and he's a brand new book out as well.
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It's called "Poems and Prayers".
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Matthew McConaughey, welcome to the show. Good to be good, Sean.
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I did a show once before and we saw each other again when we shot that uh "Overite" yeah.
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>> [laughter] >> We were in Buffalo, the Buffalo Bills scene.
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That was fun and I thought the funniest one, the funniest kid in the whole uh whole act.
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Do you feel like those past experiences have prepared you for today?
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Like what's going through your head as you prepare to take on the Hot Ones gauntlet?
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>> [laughter] >> That's a loaded question, isn't it?
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Um My appetite's not bad [music] right now.
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It's already coming in my nose. I see what's happening.
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Um let's see what we got.
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>> [music] >> Coffee date.
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Sounds innocent enough, doesn't it? Yeah.
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Good coffee grounds in there. Mellow morning. Mularthy.
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Touch of spice in the middle of the tongue. About 5 seconds in.
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But nothing to run anybody off. Yeah.
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What do you think about it?
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I think that that was beautiful, eloquent, and I'm in the scene now. You know what I mean?
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I'll never taste this sauce the same way again. Mhm.
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So, your new book is a collection of some 40 years [music] worth of poems and prayers that you've been writing since you were a young man.
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Have you always seen yourself as a poet or did it naturally emerge from your near pathological journal keeping?
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>> [laughter] >> What I did pretty pathological journal keeping, huh?
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No, I'd always written poems well since 18.
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But you know, when you're writing po- poetry and you're young, you're usually asking those big existential [music] why questions about the world and [ __ ] and then trying to make sense of your own life.
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So, my first poem when I was in Australia as an exchange [music] student, which was a wacky wacky year for me, where I was wobbly, lost, and looking.
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And I started writing poetry then >> [music] >> and uh then continued to write poetry. Um just rhythm.
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Put some little rhythm to life. You know what I mean?
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[music] I mean and especially if it's a good word or to an aspiration and it can rhyme and you can have a little dance jig to it, [music] even better.
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Makes all that makes it even more digestible.
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So, I've I've continued to write and I just looked back and found these over 36 years enough to fill a book and I said, "You know what? Those maybe were shared.
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So, let's put them in a book called "Poems and Prayers". Crema macha. I like this one. I like this one. Question. Mhm.
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You like a leg or wing better?
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So, I think as a young man, I liked the drumstick, you know, cuz there was something kind of cutesy about it.
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But as I've become older, more experienced, you know, I now appreciate the flat a little bit more.
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>> [laughter] >> Same way. This was cooler.
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The drumstick was cooler to have.
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You fought for it, but this little guy.
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>> That's a sophisticated man. Exactly.
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>> What is the fastest yes that you've ever said to an acting offer?
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Like is there a [clears throat] pitch or is there like a role that was the most immediate green light for you? Yeah.
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Um Steven Soderbergh calls. About Magic Mike.
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Steven Soderbergh never called me before.
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>> [laughter] >> I was wishing he would have an idea.
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Because I got this guy, man.
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Kind of runs a strip club. No, no, no, no, no, no. He plays part of a dude.
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I haven't read a script, nothing, but this yes. He is great.
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>> [music] >> And I go before we get off I said before we get off the line I said, "Steven, could you give me one line?
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Just while I'm before I get the script cuz I'm not getting the script for another 2 weeks.
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Give me something my imagination can just play with [music] about this character."
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He goes, "Well, you know, Dallas, that's the character he is.
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Dallas is uh he's pretty connected to the UFOs, man."
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>> [laughter] >> And I JUST WENT, "AH, WELL, OKAY, THE ROOF'S OFF, MAN.
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OKAY, this is let imagination run free right now."
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And uh that was a quick yes and [music] what a great line to live with for 2 weeks before I read the script and looked at it.
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I was like, "Yes, he is quite connected to the UFOs. Thank goodness."
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>> [laughter] >> Pickled garlic sriracha. [music] On drumstick. All right.
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The pickle that sriracha can be thick and salty. Mhm.
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But the pickle cuts it a little bit.
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>> And I don't think as intense as with the spices number two, you know?
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There's like a little bit of uh cat and mouse game you can play with. >> At the end.
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At the end now now this is when this happens.
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>> [laughter] >> This is when this happens.
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Right there at the end I got a little bit more of it reminded me that it had the spice in it.
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We're back in the koi pond. Okay.
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And it yeah, the pickle just cuts it just a hair.
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Little touch thank you to the vinegar.
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>> [snorts] >> So, I know that acting's an immersive experience, but have you ever been so blown away by a co-star's performance that it turned you into a spectator? Like for example, Yeah.
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when Anthony Hopkins nails seven pages of a courtroom monologue in Amistad and you're behind him.
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Like are you mentally still in character and you're like in awe of what you're witnessing?
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I'm mentally still in character, but there's a compartment back here that's going, "What?"
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>> [laughter] >> Well, look at this and and and Hopkins, that's the that's exactly the example I would have brought up to you.
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Cuz here's what Hopkins does. He's talking to you.
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Oh, yeah, I love my uh you know, I like [music] drumsticks or the hot sauces.
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There's crema macha and action.
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And I thought all right and you go bam [laughter] and you're like, "Shit, you were just talking to me like you were talking about chicken and hot sauces."
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And he'll right up into the action and he's come up.
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You look and you look in his eyes and you're seeing somebody else.
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It's almost like they're seeing through you.
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And then you're watching this experience and you're seeing this emanation of a character coming at you and it does catch you.
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I remember catching me a little off guard.
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Um which hopefully that worked for the scene from [music] through through my character's eyes.
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Um but yeah, you get someone who nails something like that goes on.
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You do get on the ride and you slightly it's easy to become a bit of a spectator and understand what you're watching is a form of greatness. Passiflora. Okay. No heat up front. No heat up front.
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You you actually think maybe that should have been the one hole? Right. Give it a second. Exactly.
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You know >> You've been through it. You know.
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Oh, that's a different kind of heat though, man. It flanked the edges.
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>> [laughter] >> It went around the went around the side and went straight to the top.
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We're coming at you from all angles here on this show. Exactly.
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It had [laughter] a horseshoe it's a horseshoe.
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Slipped in the back door. Picked back door. Oh, no, THERE'S A LEAK. >> [laughter] >> OKAY. Chile lengua de fuego. All right.
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I see you and you see me and you know you're still hanging around and you're sitting over there giggling going, "I don't really introduce myself till 20 seconds in."
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>> [laughter] >> So, director Breck Eisner once said that you'll do any stunt that the insurance company will allow.
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What stands out as the most bizarre or memorable injury you've ever suffered while making a movie?
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>> Bizarre memorable injury and I've had a few.
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Um Oh, it's bizarre, but it's also I look back and it's like so silly. Rain of Fire.
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The scene is walk across this burned out field and >> [music] >> then there's an open shed that drops down to the bottom of the ground.
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We walk and drop down to a tunnel.
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You can see the lights were on.
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You can see the bottom of the tunnel.
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It was about a 6-ft drop. Right?
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So, you see it, go down, you know when to bend your knees [music] and take in the the impact. Now we get in take.
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We get in the take and I go out there and as I arrive and get to it, the lights were turned out cuz it was low lighting for the scene, I couldn't see [music] the floor.
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But scene's gone well at that point.
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I'm like, "Well, I remember where the floor is. Just [music] 6 ft."
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And I jumped in and I because I didn't see the bottom, I didn't know when to bend my knees and take the impact and I hyperextended my left leg and crumbled and I right when I did I was like, "That was such a dumbass move.
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You should I should have said, 'Cut. I don't see it.'" But you were feeling it. >> I was in it. You were in rhythm. You were in flow state. >> I can do this." And and I remember pop.
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And that was a [music] silly injury.
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Niels [music] got a yellow sort of saber tiger on the cover.
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Um this one's like the chimichurri's up front, you know? But you know. Herby. >> Yeah. Herby. Very. No problem.
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Walking through the garden, you know? Yeah, picking flowers.
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It's good because it's going to get weird here, you know?
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And this is a a diving board into the weirdness.
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This is a diving board into the >> a launch pad. Yeah, exactly.
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>> Into It's a launch line.
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So, we've come into halftime. Launch pad line.
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We've come into halftime.
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I mean You're feeling good. Clean speedo on. We're good.
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>> [laughter] >> Love that. Right? Yeah. Okay.
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Well The water's been kind and we've been kind to it.
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>> [laughter] >> That's exactly right.
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Next word for me, skinny dip. It's no problem.
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Let's swim right through.
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Nothing to burn you here so far. So far.
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Coming up on the deep end of the pool? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.
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And the sharks are swimming. The sharks are circling. Yeah, yeah, yeah. >> call 911.
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>> [laughter] >> Sharks in the water.
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I'm watering my yard in a 100-year drought.
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>> [laughter] >> So, I had the great pleasure of sharing a scene with you for the Super Bowl commercial that you did last year.
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And one of my lasting memories of it was your enthusiasm for workshopping lines and reshaping the script on the spot.
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Do you believe in the treat [music] everything like it's Shakespeare approach to acting where even if you're doing a commercial, you're still going to find motivation the same way that you would for any other role?
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We can't do any wrong, especially when it's your roll the tape.
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Especially in like ads like that where you're only looking and we're looking for what? 10 seconds?
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What's the best little bit?
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You know, exchange that has the right kind of pace that gets the information out.
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Bill said, "What about you, Bill?" I don't know about that.
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>> [laughter] >> We just try it.
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We start going back and forth. You mix it up.
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You say one thing, I say another.
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I say [music] that I say what you said this time. You say what I said. You just get it going.
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You find a little cadence, little rhythm.
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And I like those snaps because when you crack the code on it, that's what you would do.
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You'd go, That's the one. That's the one. >> it. That's what's great.
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It's very much like music.
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When you hit it, you're That's it. You look over.
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You look at the director and you're like, "Yep."
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[music] I saw what you felt.
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>> [laughter] >> Is what's great, you know, when you're doing it well and you know and it you do hit the mark.
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And then what you felt, person objectively who's watching through the camera is going like, That's the one. That's the one. Sounds so innocent.
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Amarillo tropical yellow.
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We think of bananas and sunshine and lemons, things that aren't comforting, you know? Okay. Tropical Amarillo.
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Coming out with a blade on the end of its spear. Mhm.
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It's not going in you, drawing blood, but it's definitely cut the epidermis.
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Yeah, it's foreshadowing, I think.
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No, but it's Yeah, it's got a little indent. It's coming in. Trouble heat though. Trouble heat. Front of tongue. Right? Yeah. Top shelf. Top shelf. Staccato. Staccato. Not legatos. Staccato.
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>> Even it's just kind of my top lip that's numbing up a little bit right now.
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>> your lips too much cuz it's going to you can tell it's going to hang around.
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You also, I can tell, you don't want to get this one on your fingers and go take a piss.
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Listen, I've learned that lesson.
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Did you I mean, ask you this.
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When that first happened, did you get scared wondering why it was burning or did you quickly realize that it was from the Thankfully, I did the math very fast, you know?
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I did I I did connect the dots pretty quickly.
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>> First time that happened to me, I looked at myself like, "Uh-oh, shit."
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>> [laughter] >> The mind wanders, yeah.
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>> something I something coming Oh, no. OH, HELL YEAH. YEAH, YEAH.
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AND THEN it doesn't hurt so much, you know?
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There's a certain comfort. >> It was happy.
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>> [laughter] >> Coming out of a Polynesia here. The OG too. Mhm.
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Like Hawaii, it starts off a little sweet. Mhm.
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But they Trojan horse that spice in there, you know? Still hula hula hula. Mhm. Oh, oh, yeah. >> [laughter] >> OKAY. THE MATH. THERE WE GO. Now we're IN THE MUD.
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>> [laughter] >> WHAT DO they do?
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What's the All Blacks do there? New Zealand?
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>> [laughter] >> Yeah, you sneaky son of a gun. There you go.
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What's your philosophy on stacking a burger?
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You know, I know that you're passionate about the topic.
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You once said that the man who invented the hamburger is smart, but the man who invented the cheeseburger is a genius.
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I stand [laughter] by that. I stand by that. It's true, isn't it?
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>> [laughter] >> I mean, the one who invented the hamburger, he was smart dude. It's a good combination.
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The one who put cheese on that son of a gun and melted it, Sure did. >> [laughter] >> Yeah. Still statues. So, order is important.
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Um I do like to melt my cheese into the top bun.
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Also this, >> [music] >> I think we've got to stop with these extra pretzel yo-yo bagel soft white Wonder Bread white soft buns.
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And also don't make them too big.
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Make it small and have two if you want to, but not the big and soft white.
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And then the key and prime is I like the ketchup to be the first thing to hit my palate.
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>> [music] >> So, I may put a little ketchup on the burger for moisture, but I'm going to religiously >> [music] >> dip it to then bring it to my mouth for the sweetness of that ketchup [music] first thing to hit my palate. Come in.
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And I always like cut it in half.
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Oh, cuz it's just got that wedge where you can get just over the side by yeah. Yeah, cheeseburgers. I do I do like those. Oh, last meal in jail. Bye-bye. You're going tomorrow? Yeah. You have a cheeseburger.
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>> [snorts] >> Be honest, these they're talking [ __ ] right out of the gate, aren't they? Yeah. Come on, man.
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HOW COULD YOU EVER HOW COULD YOU I MEAN, THEY CAN'T be doing good business because how many years is it going to take to finish that book? BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
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>> [laughter] >> FOR BETTER OR WORSE AND UNFORTUNATELY, we have to look at ourselves in the mirror on this show.
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Like I do think that >> [laughter] >> we have something to do with this brand AND IT'S EVERLASTING >> [clears throat] [laughter] >> COME ON, MAN.
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>> PLACE ON THE hot sauce shelf. I know. I know.
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What is the taste there besides an absolute bomb that goes off?
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Yeah, I think that's what it is and they describe it, you know?
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A lot of these other sauces, pickled garlic, sriracha, they kind of let you know.
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This one's telling you IT'S A BOMB.
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>> [laughter] >> THAT IS A BOMB. THAT BASTARD hot sauce. Yeah, we're on it. Nice catch, Dom.
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So, poems and prayers grapples [laughter] with a lot of heavy topics, you know, from from love to God to family to purpose, but then there's also just a lot of cool little ditties in there, a lot of fun observations about life.
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So, if you'll humor me, I had some follow-up questions [music] about some of the lighter fare in the book and maybe you can help Like deuces?
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Yeah, like deuces, which I love, by the way, right?
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That's [snorts] my favorite poem in the whole book.
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It's this ode to the porta potty.
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Do you remember what you ate to put your prostate in a pinch?
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And then what were you doing 40 miles south of Poteet at 6:00 [laughter] IN THE MORNING? RUNNING from the law.
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>> [laughter] >> Or I was a >> [clears throat] >> road trip and pulling my Airstream.
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I lived in an Airstream for 4 years.
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And a lot of times I drive through the night cuz there wasn't as much traffic.
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Don't remember what I had.
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It was just last night catching up and ready to ready for this mess.
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And I pull over the spot and I'm going in thinking, "Oh, man, it's too early.
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It's going to be trash from yesterday."
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The doggone janitor walked out as I walked in.
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I was like, "Great sign."
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And I'm the first one in.
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>> [laughter] >> That's poetry.
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Yeah, that's poetry, man. Hit what you got to hit. It was as you know. The smile.
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Everyone knows a smile on your face when you exit that place to get back on the road.
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You're like, >> [laughter] >> "Is there anything better than what I did out?" Thank you.
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How do you see Candy Crush as a tool for learning financial responsibility?
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>> [music] >> I think Candy Crush is a great game.
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As you see, I wrote a whole poem about it. Mhm.
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Early on when you first playing, >> [music] >> remember you could get like ding ding ding ding ding 60 coins in the in the whatever the jar. You get those out. They you want them.
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They call you know, maybe they I think they were even for free early. Yeah, you want them. You earned them.
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Then all of a sudden, [music] cost money. You can only get 30.
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And they're going to charge you to get in there.
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Oh, I got to pay now for what I used to get free and you only give me half as much. Okay.
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At the beginning, remember it would give you suggestions [music] for the next move.
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They were the best suggestions. It was always right.
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You were doggone I should have listened to you.
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That was the best [laughter] move.
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And every time I did listen to you, doggone it, it was the move and I got moved on to the next level and didn't have to spend or buy anything.
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You get up around 500 or so, it starts suggesting lies.
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It starts suggesting like, "That's the That's the wrong That's not only not the best move, that's the worst move I could make." So, you trusted it. You were kidding.
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It's giving you great great advice.
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Now you got to measure it cuz you got successful.
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All of a sudden you got like, "Okay, I got to watch you.
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You're trying to get mine." Go ahead. Live your life.
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You give them one, maybe they give you one back.
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But now you're in exchange rate.
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It starts to get a little off balance.
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They want maybe two to your one or three to your one.
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And that starts to lighten up more friends asking.
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Anyway, there's a lot about life and finances in there.
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>> [laughter] >> Now we're funking hot.
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>> [clears throat] [sighs] >> Not a walk in the park.
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You know, nothing fun about it.
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But after >> [laughter] >> It's another one of those you don't want to lick the corners. >> Yeah, I know. I know.
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>> [snorts] >> No, it's not not [laughter] the bomb, but that's um picture over there running a 110 meter.
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It's a medalist in the 110 meter.
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>> [laughter] >> That's right. Right? >> Yeah.
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One thing I appreciate about you is your ability to apply meaning to almost anything including a wet dream.
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You know, you talk about floating down the Amazon River.
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You're wrapped in pythons.
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You're being encircled by crocodiles and freshwater sharks.
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And then that inspires this 20-day pilgrimage to Peru.
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Now, I once had a wet dream, right? Yeah.
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Where I'm being chased by knights and archers through a castle, right?
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And I'm running and I'm escaping through corridors and I'm dodging arrows and then I get cornered.
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And in that moment, I pee my pants out of fear, [music] but it turns out it was not really pee.
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What would you do with a sign like that?
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Like do I need to get an atlas and go somewhere?
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I think you might need to get a membership at Medieval Times.
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>> [laughter] [laughter] >> SOUNDS LIKE UH YOU SLEEP PRETTY WELL OVER THERE.
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>> [laughter] >> CONGRATULATIONS, MAN.
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It's It's odd that it happened once.
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What would be weirder is if it is recurring and you have it again.
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Then Sir Lancelot or God or somebody's trying to tell you something.
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>> [laughter] >> Well, you know what?
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It's important that I listen.
21:26
All right, Matthew McConaughey.
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>> [laughter] >> What do we got here?
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Like that ketchup we were talking about. >> Exactly. >> ain't ketchup.
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>> [clears throat] >> And with that >> [clears throat] >> the Wings of Death are behind us.
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And you know as we've established today, you're like this modern-day philosopher, you know, who can spin purpose out of life's highs and out of life's lows.
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For anyone going through hard times, as we are now having choked down these 10 scorching hot chicken wings, why do you think it's important to project forward no matter what you're going through, no matter how bad things are, that it'll all be a great story [music] someday?
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All I know is if you don't think you have the ability to live your life, that's one sure way to stay stuck where you are.
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[music] And if you go, "No, I do."
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Even if you got to be bullshitting yourself a little bit, faking it till you make it, it's a way to get started.
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[music] And what's the alternative?
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The alternative just sucks.
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It's It's It's It's a zero-sum game.
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It's for just keeping living strong.
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What else we going to do, man?
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What else we going to do? Pure poetry.
22:40
And look at you, Matthew McConaughey, taking on the Wings of Death, living to tell the tale.
22:45
And now there's nothing left to do but roll out the red carpet for you.
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This camera, this camera, this camera, let the people know what you have going on in your life.
22:55
>> [whistles] [snorts] >> Got a movie coming out, Last Bus. It's a good one. Real good one, honestly.
22:59
And also just put a book out, "Points of Prayers."
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[music] Talked about some of it here with Sean.
23:06
Um got three healthy kids so far.
23:06
Got teenagers in the house. You know how it is.
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Good part about that is you don't have [music] to edit your good stories anymore.
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>> [laughter] >> Um and I got a wife that looks forward to me coming [music] out, which makes me real happy. Salute to y'all. ALL RIGHT.
23:24
>> [applause] >> AWESOME. THE BOMB, BRO. THAT'S THE ONE. >> That is the one. You did amazing.
23:36
This is going This is going to be so good.
23:39
I'll give this That's fun, man. You're the best, man.
23:41
Thank you so much for doing this.
23:45
>> [laughter] >> YEAH, you sneaky son of a gun.
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