McConaughey: Bone-Thin Weight Loss Was 'Spiritual'
Matthew McConaughey manipulates his body weight and delivers a bravura performance in the compelling '80s-era AIDS drama Dallas Buyers Club, and he tells ET's Rob Marciano that when all was said and done (including dropping close to 50 pounds for his bone-thin appearance), he indulged big time in a juicy cheeseburger.
"It was big transformation … it was a damn spiritual cleanse, man," grins Matthew, who says that in addition to a strict diet regimen, he got three hours less sleep a night, adding with a laugh, "You're reminded how often you think about the next meal through the day. … You don't go have meetings at your favorite steak house either – you have 'em right at home with your little meal right in front of you."
Inspired by a real-life story, Dallas Buyers Club follows the story of Texas electrician and rodeo rider Ron Woodruff, a hell-raising, womanizing homophobe who finds himself diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and is saddled with a 30-day death sentence. Unwilling to die at the hands of a bureaucratic health system, he embraces experimental treatment on the sly and, after going South of the Border to procure un-approved meds by the FDA, turns his plight into a booming business for those in a similar bind.
Related Story: Leto Opens Up About His 'Dallas' Transformation
Watch the video to see co-star Jennifer Garner's funny Matthew imitation and heramusement over his foodie predilections, and to see what co-star Jared Leto had to say about his own surprising transformation to play a transsexual who teams up with Woodruff to provide "members" of the Dallas Buyers Club.
Dallas Buyers Club rolls into theaters November 1.