As the Oscars approach, Matthew McConaughey is the smart bet for a Best Actor Academy Award — with Chiwetel Ejiofor as his only serious competition. With a Golden Globe and a SAG award under his belt for his performance as Ron Woodruff in Dallas Buyers Club, McConaughey is well on his way to ruling awards season. Who would have thought that the over-the-hill stoner from Dazed and Confused would one day be worthy of an Oscar nod? Or — even more astounding — who would have thought that the sexy Texan love interest in Kate Hudson and Jennifer Lopez movies would be categorized as the kind of guy who is owed an Oscar win someday? (This is only his first nomination, and yet, bloggers are already wondering if this will “finally” be his year to win.) The mere suggestion that McConaughey could win an Oscar just four years ago would have gotten you laughed out of the Academy, so big kudos to McConaughey and his team for executing the biggest Hollywood 180 in recent memory. Here’s how he did it — tracing his Oscar potential from the beginning of his career to now. (Note: Here, “Oscar potential” is defined as the likelihood that McConaughey will win an Academy Award at some point during his career based on his performances during that time period — that is, he probably wasn’t going to win an Oscar during the 1990s, but people could have considered him the type of actor that might be an Oscar-winner someday.) The Stoner with Potential (1993-1996) Oscar potential: 2 of 10 McConaughey gets his big break in Dazed and Confused as a guy in his early 20s who (weirdly) still hangs out with high schoolers. The movie earned good reviews and critics pointed to McConaughey as a standout. McConaughey went on to snag roles in Angels in the Outfield, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation and Boys on the Side before he resurfaced as an actor with serious potential again in Lone Star. Though he was barely onscreen for the movie, his performance had critics convinced that he was ready to take![]()
