2013’s Dallas Buyers Club was a crucial film in actor Matthew McConaughey’s filmography that made him quite popular among a wider audience. In the film, McConaughey played the role of Ron Woodroof, who created a group, later known as the Dallas Buyers Club, in order to find and distribute drugs to treat AIDS at a time when there was no awareness about the disease. He founded the group in 1988 after he discovered that he had contracted HIV in 1985 and was diagnosed with AIDS.
In order to accurately play Woodroof, McConaughey was required to lose a significant amount of weight. His dedication to the role allowed him to lose almost 50 pounds but the tremendous change terrified his friends and family, especially his daughter.
Matthew McConaughey scared his family and friends with his transformation for Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
In a past interview, actor Matthew McConaughey recalled the time his friends and family were worried about him when he lost 47 pounds to portray Ron Woodroof in 2013’s Dallas Buyers Club. The actor said (via IMDb),
“My daughter was looking at me, and she said, ‘Why is your neck long like a giraffe?’ The giraffe’s neck was the only comment I got from them. They saw the transformation day to day. Now when I went to see someone who I hadn’t seen in months, that’s the people who would go crazy. It went from ‘Is everything alright?’ and then it got to ‘Are you okay?’ and the last one was, ‘Oh my God, you’re sick.’ At that point, I thought Ron was just the weight he needed to be.”
In the film, McConaughey played Ron Woodroof, who had contracted HIV and was diagnosed with AIDS. Woodroof created a group in 1988 that found and distributed drugs to treat AIDS.
Dallas Buyers Club (2013) earned Matthew McConaughey an Academy Award
McConaughey’s efforts paid off as the actor received the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 86th Academy Awards for his work in the film. The film also featured actor Jared Leto, who also lost roughly 30 pounds for the role of Rayon.
The film grossed over $52 million worldwide on a budget of $5 million, in fact, the budget for the makeup department was only $250 and somehow, they managed to win the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. With Dallas Buyers Club, McConaughey once again proved his versatility as an actor. Today, he remains a prominent and influential figure in the entertainment industry.
