Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey may be considering a run for Texas governor. After racking up dozens of credits to his name and becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, the actor revealed when speaking with Today‘s Al Roker on Friday that he is “considering” a move into politics.
The conversation coming on the heels of the devastating and deadly Texas winter storm, which prompted current Texas Gov. Greg Abbot to receive criticism over his handling of the mass power outages in the state, McConaughey, asked by Roker if he was “considering running for Texas governor,” said, “Am I considering that? Sure.” The actor called it “a very honorable consideration,” though he noted that he isn’t yet decided. Instead, McConaughey explained that he has to “choose” for himself if he wants “to get into a leadership role in the next chapter of my life.”
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“Now, what role am I going to be most useful in? I don’t know that that’s in a political position or if that’s me as a free agent,” he continued. “It might be me as a free agent. So that’s something I’m personally working on is what is my position of most use in a leadership role.”
His remarks on Today came after the actor said in November that he had “no plans” to run for governor of his home state after a headline appeared about his supposed political aspirations. Appearing on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, McConaughey, asked if he was thinking of a gubernatorial run, revealed, “Right now, no.” The actor he doesn’t “get politics. Politics seems to be a broken business; politics needs to redefine its purpose.” He added that “as I move forward in life, yes, am I gonna consider leadership roles where I can be most useful.”
He seemed to reverse course by March, however. During an appearance on the Crime Stoppers of Houston’s The Balanced Voice podcast earlier this month, the True Detective star told host Rania Mankarious running against incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott, who is up for re-election next year, was a “true consideration.” Again, McConaughey said that he was considering what his “leadership role” is, telling Mankarious that he does “think I have some things to teach and share. What is my category in the next chapter of my life I am going into now?”
McConaughey is far from the only Hollywood A-lister considering stepping into the political arena. In early March, Will Smith revealed he might consider running for president “at some point down the line.” Dwayne, “The Rock” Johnson, has also said he “would consider a presidential run in the future if that’s what the people wanted.”
