They’re two of Hollywood’s most lovable rogues – famed for their southern drawls, cheeky glints in the eye and universally acclaimed acting credits. But Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson might just have scuppered their Hollywood standings for good, after starring in an ad to promote movie-making in their home state of Texas. While their intentions may have been patriotic and pure, their actions have gone down like a lead balloon in Los Angeles – where the industry is already on its knees following writers’ and actors’ strikes and the recent LA wildfires. Now, we’re told, Matthew and Woody are facing the wrath of their Hollywood-based contemporaries, and the very real possibility that they have, inadvertently, bought themselves a one-way ticket back to the Lone Star State.
'A lot of people are angry and for good reason,' a film studio insider tells heat, following the release of the promotional True to Texas video, which is calling for Texas legislature to create new incentives for film and TV productions in the state. 'What the hell were those guys thinking, releasing this campaign in such close proximity to the devastating LA wildfires and amid the significant contraction in LA-based production? They should have known better and now they really can't take it back. It just felt like they were kicking the local LA community while it was hitting a low point and needed industry leaders to stand up for it. It would be a different thing if these guys were true outsiders who never made films or shows in the Hollywood system. But that's not what they are, and that's why you haven't heard the end of this matter.'
While Matthew, 55, and Woody, 63, weren’t the only Texas-born actors to star in the video – it also features proud Texans including Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton and Renee Zellweger – they were, ostensibly the stars of the show. They were also the pair to actively throw shots at LA, while reprising their iconic True Detective characters, Detectives Rust Cohle and Marty Hart for the film. In character, Matthew can be seen complaining to his co-star, 'Hollywood is a flat circle, Wood,' adding, 'This industry is like somebody’s memory of an industry, and the memory’s fading. I’m talking about a whole new hub for film and television. A renaissance. A rebirth.'
Woody then replies, 'A small fraction of Texas budget surplus to turn this state into the new Hollywood.'
Of course, no one can blame the two men for being proud – and supportive – of creating jobs in their industry in the place they grew up but, as our insider tells us, it’s the timing that’s got everybody so worked up. In January, the world watched on in horror as the LA wildfires spread, devastating 57,000 acres of land, destroying more than 18,000 homes and structures, and forcing more than 200,000 people to evacuate. Amidst the tragedy, which saw Hollywood stars including Mel Gibson, Billy Crystal and Jeff Goldblum lose their homes, the industry itself was weakened more than ever.
According to reports, nearly 8,000 'below-the-line' Hollywood workers, including grips, electricians, carpenters, set decorators, sound engineers, costume designers, make-up artists and editors, were also victims to the atrocity, with far less capital than Hollywood’s A-listers to sustain the devastation to their lives. What’s more, the ruin has put a cap on lots of filming locations ever being used in the future, with many people losing their livelihoods as a result.
Meanwhile, the fires came following a massive downturn in Hollywood. Already, Tinseltown – as its widely known – was hit hard by the simultaneous SAG-AFTRA and Writers’ Guild of America strikes in 2023, which resulted in the loss of 45,000 jobs. According to reports, film and TV work – not just for writers and actors, but for all crew members – has become scarcer and scarcer. As one industry worker recently told The Guardian, 'It does feel different right now in Hollywood. So many people I know haven’t worked in a year, two years. For people in the film industry that have suffered this tremendous loss of their home and possessions, it’s a gut punch because we’ve already lost our livelihoods.'
So, with all this in mind, LA is at a pretty vulnerable point in its history, making this recent promotional video for Texas seem all the more personal and aggressive. As far as industry insiders are concerned, both Matthew and Woody have benefited greatly from their starry Hollywood careers, so they’re the last people who should now be trashing the place that made them famous.
'You can just imagine how upsetting it is to see these two huge stars attacking the film business in California and bragging that Texas can do it better, with zero thought to all the lives they’ll be ruining if they succeed with this campaign,' we’re told. 'Then, when you factor in the timing, that this advertisement has come right on the heels of the city’s worst natural disaster ever, it’s even more triggering. Matthew and Woody don’t seem to be the least bit sheepish about it though. They see this as being about nothing more than their passion for Texas and a case of them wanting to help out the people in their home state. The issue is how they are going about it. They could make their case for wanting to jumpstart a film industry in Texas without trash talking California. A lot of people are complaining and saying they’re acting like a bunch of heartless opportunists.'
As Hollywood stars hit the red carpets for awards season over the past few months, Woody and Matthew weren’t so conspicuous – prompting many to speculate that they’ve been blacklisted for good. Time will tell whether they’ll be allowed through the gilded gates of Tinseltown again, or whether they’ll be heading back to Texas with their tails between their legs.