Matthew McConaughey says he has trouble watching his own movies once they’re finished.
The 56-year-old actor admitted as much in a recent episode of the SiriusXM show. Where everyone knows your name podcast with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson.
McConaughey explained that while he is comfortable in the moment on set, he becomes overly critical when watching himself later.
“My name is Brando or Olivier when I work,” Danson added. “When I look at him, oh god. I become this judgmental asshole.”
He said it often took him four attempts to finish one of his own films and only on the fourth viewing could he achieve it without dissecting every choice he made on screen.
“I’m a quad guy,” he shared. “I watch my own work. The fourth time I watch it, if I get that far, that’s when I can actually watch the whole movie.”
The Oscar winner admitted that his discomfort stems from the fact that he is very self-analytical and tends to judge his work harshly.
“I will pass judgment and I’m not wrong. But maybe I shouldn’t be so harsh,” he shared, adding that he’d rather be on set and perform. “I love doing it. … We’ve all been doing it long enough. You know, when you hit it, you have to look the other direction and say ‘Yeah,’ and they say ‘Yeah.'”
Although he believes some of these criticisms are valid, he acknowledges that he may be being too hard on himself. For McConaughey, satisfaction comes from doing the work, not revising it afterward.
He also shared that constantly reviewing his performances might make him too concerned with his appearance or ego, something he actively tries to avoid. Once he and the director agree that a scene works, he prefers to move on rather than revisit it.
During the conversation, McConaughey reflected on how the experience changed his approach to acting. Early in his career, he said there was often a gap between what he intended to do and what appeared on screen. Over time, this gap narrowed as his instincts became sharper.
