Matthew McConaughey Gives a Crash Course in Drinking

Esquire interviews the actor as his latest whiskey commercial debuts.

September 16, 2017 5:00 am
Actor Matthew McConaughey
Actor Matthew McConaughey participates in "The Dark Tower" cast photo call at The Whitby Hotel on Sunday, July 30, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Thanks to Matthew McConaughey, now the creative director of Wild Turkey, sales for the bourbon have grown globally by 14.6 percent. The Oscar winner has been directing and starring in the Wild Turkey commercials, and his latest effort was just released. So Esquire talked to McConaughey about drinking, acting drunk, and the best bourbon he’s ever had.

How does he drink whiskey? Just a couple of big ice cubes to cool it down, but no cocktails. He puts the cubes in and then lets the drink sit for four or five minutes before even sipping it.

For his commercials, he told Esquire, he wanted to make the bar scenes feel authentic. At real bars, people are relaxed, having conversations, comfortable. So what he looks for is people who know “how to lean up against a bar, get a drink, sit on a barstool.”

Esquire also asked the star if it is hard to go out and just get a drink when you’re as famous as he is. McConaughey answered by saying that he usually doesn’t allow people to take pictures with him, but he’ll always shake their hand.

There are some rumors that McConaughey and Eddie Russell are working on a bourbon together. Esquire asked about it, but all the actor would say was that they’ve been working on something for over a year, a “little combo. Some brown fluid that might make you smile.”

You can read the full interview at Esquire.

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