Rejected offers and missed opportunities litter Hollywood’s streets and alleyways. At every nook, cranny, or around the corner, the stars lie in wait for the next big role that will cement their status in the industry a bit further. But when it comes to two of the biggest A-listers of today, Matthew McConaughey and Leonardo DiCaprio, it can be safely stated that they have risen above and beyond the industry’s needs and necessities. It is not what they can contribute to its artistic vaults of filmography but rather what Hollywood can ask of them in return.
Matthew McConaughey Wins Best Actor at 86th Oscars
After a brilliant career spanning 3 decades that witnessed some of the most iconic performances from Matthew McConaughey, the actor went on to snag the highest of all honors at the grandest stage of them all – the Academy Award for Best Actor for his leading role in the 2013 film, Dallas Buyers Club. Up against him were contenders, each magnificent in their own rights, for roles that were equally worthy, including Leonardo DiCaprio [The Wolf of Wall Street], Chiwetel Ejiofor [12 Years a Slave], Christian Bale [American Hustle], and Bruce Dern [Nebraska].
The Oscar would be McConaughey’s first in his career and the calling of his name – right before he walked onto the stage to deliver the iconic Oscars speech – gave weight, significance, and purpose to his career. To receive the highest accomplishment in one’s chosen field immediately catapults one to untouchable tiers of glory and infamy, it announces that their art and struggle have not been in vain. But for Matthew McConaughey, it is warranted that the win meant more than just a defining milestone of success.
Matthew McConaughey is Vindicated at the 86th Oscars
In 1997, the world lay blissfully ignorant of a masterpiece in the making – a movie that, after its premiere, would not only redefine love and romance and break a billion hearts across the globe but also wrench guttural cries loud enough to be heard from outer space. The James Cameron epic, Titanic, won the box office and generated generational trauma in the form of fated, star-crossed lovers destined to be separated.
And while the audience can barely imagine anyone other than Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the roles of Jack and Rose, it was Matthew McConaughey who was up for the leading man title in the $2.2B movie before DiCaprio snagged the hearts of millions, starting with James Cameron himself.
In November 2018, Matthew McConaughey, recalling his reading for the part of Jack Dawson, claimed:
“I wanted that. I auditioned with Kate Winslet. Had a good audition. Walked away from there pretty confident that I had it. I didn’t get it. I never got offered that.”
And while it is a lost opportunity to never get to witness the brilliance of Matthew McConaughey in a tragic and doomed love story, one can feel anything but sorry about the fact that Cameron went with the actor better suited for the role. Titanic not only established Leonardo DiCaprio in Hollywood, but also gave its audience an immortal love story that never fails to lose its shrill luster, and a huge part of it goes to the iconic performances of the two lead actors and their inimitable, electric, and undeniable chemistry.
