'I Just Reacted… I Didn't Want to Know What Was Coming' — Matthew McConaughey Says the Iconic Tape Scene in Interstellar Is the First Take, and He Did It Without Rehearsing

It is 1 of Matthew McConaughey’s astir iconic scenes, 1 that has endured arsenic some a premier illustration of his acting prowess and a meme. But Interstellar’s portion country was not heavy rehearsed. Nor did McConaughey person to spell done aggregate takes to get the affectional absorption we spot on-screen. McConaughey successful information nailed it connected the archetypal take, and helium didn’t rehearse the country astatine all.

For the uninitiated, the country successful question sees McConaughey, retired connected a time-warping heavy abstraction mission, ticker 23 years of video messages sent from his children connected Earth arsenic they turn up and person kids of their own. Casey Affleck plays big Tom Cooper, McConaughey’s son, who yet takes complaint of his father's workplace (incidentally, a young Timothée Chalamet plays a 15-year-old Tom). Jessica Chastain plays big Murphy "Murph" Cooper, Joseph's daughter.

As McConaughey watches the tapes helium breaks down, sobbing astatine points. It is surely 1 of the much memorable scenes successful Christopher Nolan’s epic sci-fi flick, and McConaughey is often asked astir it successful interviews. Indeed he’s talked astir nailing the country successful the archetypal instrumentality before. But successful a caller interrogation with Vanity Fair, McConaughey revealed much astir his process, and however helium asked Christopher Nolan to movie the country without rehearsing.

One of the astir devastating scenes ever filmed. pic.twitter.com/VJujfX6vyP

“I retrieve we changeable it, it was a Monday morning, and it was the archetypal country up. And I'd gotten bully remainder that weekend, and I had had a beauteous humble bully weekend. I deliberation it was with my family,” helium said.

“I retrieve we got in, and Nolan was gonna acceptable up immoderate wides. They were astir to play the tape. ‘Let's rehearse the tape.’” At this point, McConaughey hand-waved the unit away, insisting they rotation cameras immediately.

“All of a abrupt things came over, and cameras were determination and we played the tape. And again, this is that archetypal take. That's the 1 we use.”

McConaughey went connected to speech astir his process for this country and wherefore it worked truthful well. “I didn't person to spell to a place,” helium said. “When Casey Affleck and Chastain travel connected arsenic older, and the mode they're… The gap, the dread of having to miss that successful my ain beingness with my ain kids, I conscionable reacted, which is what I've learned I similar to bash if you’ve got scenes similar that.

“Because everything aft instrumentality 1 is acting for real. We tin amended arsenic actors, we tin amended worldly successful instrumentality two, I tin too. But everything aft instrumentality 1 — if you're afloat relaxed, and conscionable reacting — everything aft instrumentality 1 is acting. I didn't wanna cognize what was coming. And that's conscionable maine relaxing, and past what happened... happened.”

McConaughey runs done galore of his astir celebrated roles successful the Variety video, which is good worthy a ticker if you're a instrumentality of his films. I particularly enjoyed his memories of playing Rust Cohle successful True Detective.

Interstellar, meanwhile, remains a talking constituent 11 years aft it came retired — and we're inactive debating THAT ending.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].