Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey has revealed that when he started acting he thought it would be a "summer hobby". 

The 50-year-old Hollywood star first came to prominence in the 1993 coming-of-age comedy, Dazed and Confused, before starring in a string of hit romantic comedies. 

McConaughey's career evolved with more dramatic roles, leading to a best actor Academy Award win for his portrayal of a cowboy diagnosed with Aids in 2013 biopic Dallas Buyers Club.

Despite his glittering success, the Texan revealed he never set out to conquer Hollywood and believed acting would remain a hobby.

During an appearance on US TV, McConaughey discussed his late father's influence, describing how he died five days into the shoot for Dazed And Confused.

Matthew McConaughey and Camilla Alves
Matthew McConaughey with his wife Camila Alves

He said: "So, at that time where I took on something, acting, I thought might just be a summer hobby, I might never do it again, he was alive five days into me shooting it.

"So he was alive when I started something that I thought might be a hobby but turned into a career. So, there's a great serendipity in that for me."

McConaughey, who has three sons with wife Camila Alves, also revealed he viewed becoming a father as a rite of passage.

"I always knew I wanted to be was a father," he said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "You become a father, you're immortal. Your lineage lives on, you pass it on."



The actor has written a memoir titled Greenlights. He describes it as an "aspirational book" about an approach to life.

"It's stories, insights, philosophies," McConaughey said, saying it is like "taking a spaceship to Mars without needing a pilot's licence".

He added: "There's a lot of good wisdom in it but advice is touchy. Nobody really wants to hear advice from a celebrity and nobody likes to be told what to do, especially me". 

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