Matthew McConaughey turned down $15 million movie role to earn 1.5% of that for Dallas Buyers Club

Rather than jumping at the chance to earn himself a cool $15 million, Matthew McConaughey turned down a high-paying movie role to take on the character of Ron Woodroof.

The actor shocked and impressed the world when he unveiled his look for Dallas Buyers Club in 2013, having dropped nearly 3st 7lb (47lb) in order to portray the character diagnosed with HIV.

I think it's safe to say his efforts paid off as his performance went on to earn him his first ever Academy Award for Best Actor, but committing to four months of 'chewing a lot of ice' and relying on programmed meals could not have been easy.

Having a seven-figure paycheque might have made the whole experience a little bit easier, but McConaughey was not in Dallas Buyers Club for the money.

He took the role off the back of previous projects including Sahara and Fool's Gold, neither of which performed amazingly in the box office – especially in comparison to his $100 million rom-com How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Though some actors might have been looking for the highest paying jobs at that point, McConaughey told The Hollywood Reporter: “Taking a year and a half off and saying no to things in some form or fashion made me a new good idea. Sometimes the target draws the arrow.”

Steve Vas / Alamy Stock Photo

The actor was offered the part of Woodroof in 2010, at which time he received an upfront fee of less than $200,000, according to sources cited by THR.

Obviously that's not a salary to sniff at for the average person, but it is pretty low when you take into account the fact that he turned down $15 million before beginning Dallas Buyers Club.

The pricey offer came with the opportunity to to star in Universal and Imagine’s big-screen version of Magnum, P.I – a role previously held by Tom Selleck in the 1980s.

While most people would have found the offer hard to resist, McConaughey obviously stuck to his guns.

Following the release of Dallas Buyers Club, the actor said he was 'proud' of the film and others he had chance to appear in over the years, telling BBC News: "I'm proud of the films I've been able to be in - from The Wolf of Wall Street to Mud to Dallas Buyers Club."

"It's vital," he added of the film, saying, "it has translated, it has communicated with people, it's become personal with people. That's something I'm very proud of."

Topics: Matthew McConaughey, TV and Film

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is the Community Desk Lead at LADbible Group. Emily first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route. She went on to graduate with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University before contributing to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems. She joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features, and now works as Community Desk Lead to commission and write human interest stories from across the globe.