Matthew McConaughey reveals what role he almost played in True Detective

We hear about actors almost playing different roles in famous films or television shows they star in, and the hit HBO series True Detective is no exception.

Matthew McConaughey sat down with Deadline to talk about True Detective and dropped some knowledge on us about who he almost ended up playing on the series had he not fallen in love with the role of Rustin.

"The only thing was, they wanted me for the Marty Hart part, and I liked the Rust Cohle part. The director, Cary Fukunaga, well I was a big fan of Sin Nombre. The fact that it was going to be those two, Nic and Cary, through all eight episodes? I would have been more scared if I was going to do something on TV with different directors and writers coming in. One director, one showrunner for a finite series made it feel like I was making a 450-page movie. As for TV, you don’t feel you are walking the plank anymore. The quality of drama on the small screen often surpasses the quality on the big screen now. I wasn’t approaching this thinking, “What is my image going to be and how might it change?” It was, “Let me find quality, and then go and do quality.”"

It’s just absolutely impossible to image McConaughey playing a role other than Rust in True Detective as it’s one of his most memorable performances of his career. Some may even argue that it’s a more memorable role than the one he won an Oscar for in Dallas Buyers Club.

He’s likely going to take home an Emmy award for his role — deservedly so — and it’s impossible to see him being in that position had he played Marty. That’s not to say he couldn’t have pulled it off, but McConaughey is Rustin Cohle and that’s what helps make the world right.