Matthew McConaughey says there's an 'initiation process' in Hollywood as he discusses his 'ups and downs': 'There's a lot of things you learn'

Matthew McConaughey shared there's an 'initiation process' to Hollywood, as he discussed his 30-year acting career in a new interview.

The 54-year-old Interstellar star — whose first lead role was alongside Sandra Bullock in the 1996 film A Time to Kill — talked about his 'ups and downs' over the years in a new interview with People.

'I, like anyone, have had my ups and downs. My star meter has been higher, my star meter has been lower. I've won Oscars, I've been arrested playing the bongos naked.'

'Overall, I believe there's been inherent goodwill for me, but it did not keep me from figuring out my own initiation into the industry,' the actor, who recently attended the Oscars with his wife Camila, 41, added. 

'Because there's an initiation process. There just is. You can get tips, but you've got to figure out the BS, cut the wheat from the chaff along the way.'

Matthew McConaughey shared there's an 'initiation process' to Hollywood, as he discussed his 30-year acting career in a new interview; seen in 2020

The 54-year-old Interstellar star — whose first lead role was in the 1996 film A Time to Kill (pictured) — talked about his 'ups and downs' over the years in a new interview with People 

He said that while it is possible to get 'tips' from others in the industry, he believes it is important for aspiring actors to learn how things work for themselves. 

'There's a lot of things you learn 10 years after being in Hollywood and you go, 'Well, why didn't they tell me that in year two?' 

But now, the 'Dallas Buyers Club' actor wouldn't even share what he's learned with his younger self.

He said: 'Oh, I wouldn't tell him. I'd let him figure it out the same way I did. Take feeder roads off the highway. Get confused, get frustrated, feel lost, and overcome it.'

In 2020 Matthew reflected on his tumultuous Hollywood career, including a now-infamous brush with the law in 1999.

The actor, who has reinvented himself in recent years by refusing rom-com roles in favor of more dramatic work, published a candid memoir about his life, which looks back at his past indiscretions.

Matthew's transformation from Hollywood bad boy to family man coincided with his change from starring in fluffy rom coms to hard hitting blockbusters, a move dubbed the 'McConaissance'.

In 1999, a knock on his door was the police responding to the neighbor's noise complaint. They found him stoned and naked with a bong nearby.

'I, like anyone, have had my ups and downs. My star meter has been higher, my star meter has been lower. I've won Oscars, I've been arrested playing the bongos naked,' he said; seen in 2022

'There's an initiation process. There just is. You can get tips, but you've got to figure out the BS, cut the wheat from the chaff along the way,' he explained; seen on March 10 at the Oscars 

'There's a lot of things you learn 10 years after being in Hollywood and you go, 'Well, why didn't they tell me that in year two?' he added; seen in 1996

His acting career started in 1993 with the coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused where he played David Wooderson (pictured in a still)

He resisted arrest and was hauled off to jail for resisting as well as on a marijuana possession.

The charges were dropped eventually but he had to pay a fifty dollar fine for disturbing the peace, a mere drop in the bucket for the actor who was then earning $4 million a film.

Matthew's acclaimed performance in Dallas Buyers Club led to his Oscar win in 2014, and he has continued to appear in dramatic roles including True Detective and Interstellar.

Matthew has Levi, 15, Vida, 14, and 11-year-old Livingston with wife Camila — whom he wed in 2012 — and believes parenthood has made him a better actor.

He said: 'Having children, I know, has made me a better artist and a better actor. Kids see things for the first time all the time.

'Their questions are innocent. I've become a better storyteller because I have kids.'

The Oscar-winning star took on his voice role of Buster Moon the koala in 'Sing' and its sequel so his children could enjoy his work for once, and it was a particularly special moment for him when the kids realized his involvement.

Matthew shares three kids with wife Camila Alves, 41 — Levi, 15, Vida, 14, and 11-year-old Livingston — and believes parenthood has made him a better actor; seen in 2024

'Kids see things for the first time all the time. 'Their questions are innocent. I've become a better storyteller because I have kids,' he said; pictured with his three kids and Camila

He said: 'Yeah, it was fun.... And as they got older, there's nothing I made that they could see.

'As you become a parent, you end up watching mostly what your kids are watching. And so I was like, "Man, I've never been a part of an animated film and I like doing voice work" and so I went and did that.'

'I remember sitting in the premiere of ['Sing'] and they're listening and going, "Hey, that sounds like... " They had that moment where they look at the screen, audio, look at me sitting next to them, do the math and go, '"That's you!" That was really cool to them.'

'And that was something I did for them and the kid in all of us.'