Matthew McConaughey Says His Wife Misses the Extra Pounds He Put on for 'Gold' Role

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Matthew McConaughey's family gave him a pretty great nickname when he was packing on the pounds for his role in Gold.

On Wednesday's episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the 47-year-old actor insisted that he did not wear any padding while shooting the movie. "Whole lot of McConaughey," he quipped. "That's cheeseburgers and beer for eight months whenever I wanted them."

When asked if he experienced any negative side effects from gaining the weight, McConaughey admitted that he quite enjoyed himself. "I learned that the only thing that makes you tired from overindulging is the thought of quitting," he noted. "I never got tired. I slept great, I had great energy."


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The Oscar winner's family also liked his new eating habits. "My nickname in the household was Captain Fun," he said. "My wife [Camila Alves] misses all 217 pounds of me, and the kids do too, because it was pizza night any night."

He added, "It was fun."

What wasn't "fun" was losing the weight after he was done with the movie. McConaughey said it took him about six months to get back to his normal size.


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The A-list actor also spoke to ET about his physical transformation for Gold, and his "cheeseburgers and beer" diet. Check it out:

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