Matthew McConaughey Getting Oscar Buzz Over Gaunt Look in 'Dallas Buyers Club'
Matthew McConaughey is creating chatter surrounding the upcoming Oscar Awards season with his latest role.
The 43-year-old actor underwent drastic physical changes for his role in "Dallas Buyers Club," and his hard work may be paying off.
This week, the film's trailer debuted online, where it caused a stir. The shocking clip of the upcoming biopic revealed a gaunt, barely recognizable McConaughey in character as the real life Ron Woodroof.
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Ahead of filming, the actor lost over 40 pounds for his role a Woodroof, a vocal homophobe and drug-addicted Texas native who was later diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 1986.
Talking about his dramatic weight loss, the "Lincoln Lawyer" star admitted the challenges of portraying an AIDS victim.
Watch the trailer here.
"I feel good now," said McConaughey speaking to HitFix late last year. "Overall, [I] probably got 35 percent less energy. But the tough part is there have been plateaus."
The "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days" star explained that losing the weight was a struggle that surprised him.
"Getting past 170 [pounds] was really hard, but then once you get to 167, the next seven comes off easy," McConaughey divulged. "Getting past 160, really hard, but then you fly down to 150. Getting past 150 was really hard and then, bam! Got down to 143 and that's where I want to be."
Known for his typically active lifestyle, the "Magic Mike" star admitted that the weight loss altered his vigor.
"Once you get past the plateau, your body seems to understand, 'Ok, this is where we're leaving now, this is where we are,' and so the energy rises," said the actor, according to HitFix.
Ahead of this week's buzz surrounding the trailer for "Dallas Buyers Club," McConaughey's co-star in the film, Jared Leto has already promoted the film with a shocking magazine cover.
The actor was featured on the cover of Candy magazine dressed in full drag, similar to that of his character on "Dallas Buyers Club." Leto, who is the front man for 30 Seconds to Mars, donned a full face of makeup and a light-pink cropped wig.
It is widely reported that both Leto and McConaughey may earn awards for their roles at this year's Oscars, according to ABC News.
Meanwhile, "Dallas Buyer Club" also stars Jennifer Garner and Kevin Rankin. The film hits theaters on Nov. 1 this year, a date changed from Focus Features' original premiere of Dec. 6.
