Four or five years ago, Matthew McConaughey’s name was synonymous with “standard issue rom-com.” Today, he’s one of the most interesting actors working in Hollywood. Within a few short years, the actor changed his entire career around. Now everyone’s a laaaaawwwbreakah, anxious for a piece of McConaughey’s talents.
McConaughey continues his climb up prestige mountain with the announcement of a new project: The Wolf of Wall Street, the next film from Martin Scorsese. The actor joins an elite cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Jonah Hill, Rob Reiner, Kyle Chandler, and Walking Dead‘s Jon Bernthal. The awards-friendly adaptation of the memoir of the same name tells the true story of Jordan Belfort (Dicaprio), a stockbroker with a penchant for burning cash and burning out, capable of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on partying and reckless fun. Deadline reports that McConaughey will play his former mentor Mark Hanna. After his work in Magic Mike, McConaughey has proven himself fully capable of balancing wild with suave, which sounds like the perfect pitch for the Wolf of Wall Street role.
The Wolf of Wall Street casting news rides a long line of eclectic choices from McConaughey, from his comedic turn in Tropic Thunder to his dramatic hit The Lincoln Lawyer to his twisted cop in Bernie to the even more twisted cop in last week’s Killer Joe. There is plenty more down the road: the actor premiered two films at the Cannes Film Festival, The Paperboy and Mud, both pegged as contenders this award season.
Add the promise of McConaughey sparring with DiCaprio when Wolf of Wall Street rolls around in 2013 and bad memories of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days finally start to fade away…
