Lacey Terrell/HBO
Woody Harrelsonhas remained good friends with fellow actorMatthew McConaugheyover the years, but their time costarring onTrue Detectivereally tested the bonds of their friendship.
The duo looked back on their time as costars forthe show's first seasonin 2014 during McConaughey's recent appearance on Harrelson and Ted Danson'sWhere Everybody Knows Your Namepodcast. The HBO anthology series won five Emmys for that season, with both actors being nominated for their performances.
"He's method," Harrelson, 64, said of McConaughey tackling his role as Louisiana detective Rustin Spencer "Rust" Cohle for the series. "When we were shooting, he was Rust Cohle. There [were] so many times I wanted to punch this motherf---er in the face. I'm so pissed at him 'cause he's in his character."
McConaughey admitted he was being "stoic" while getting in character for his role, recalling, "We're sitting there. We're about to start shooting, and we were rehearsing. I'm just kind of being stoic Rust Cohle.' Woody goes, like, 'Hey man, I need to talk to you about something.' He goes, 'The way you and I work, McConaughey, I hit you the ball [and] you hit back, I hit it back to you. We volley [and] we play. ... Man, that's us. It's dramatic, but it's also comedy.'"
Harrelson, who portrayed Det. Marty Hart, investigating a serial killer alongside McConaughey's Rust in the mystery thriller drama, remembered thinking that the show needed some more jokes thrown into the script, which he attempted to convince his costar to back him up on.
"I remember saying to [McConaughey] before we started filming, I'm like, 'Dude, people are gonna expect to laugh with us. We gotta throw some jokes in here.' He's just like, 'Mhm.' I'm waiting for him to say, 'Yeah, you're totally, no, none of that.' He just, 'Mhm, yeah,'" Harrelson quipped.
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McConaughey pointed out that he believed creator Nic Pizzolatto's writing allowed there to "be humor in the situation" itself without including any slapstick humor.
"[Harrelson] goes, '...what you're doing now, man, I'm hitting you the ball and you're just standing there at the baseline and the ball bounces back. Hits the backstop, and comes to a rest. And you're just staring at me still. And it's f---ing not funny and I hate it,'" McConaughey told Danson. "And I go, 'I got a hunch. That might end up being funny.' And I think it did end up being funny."
Harrelson couldn't deny that McConaughey had a point. "And I'm like, 'Oh, this motherf---er.' And he was totally right," he conceded.
Jim Bridges/HBO
Despite their differing viewpoints, McConaughey saidTrue Detectiveremains his "favorite" TV project to watch.
"I'm just saying [because of] the enjoyment I got from watching. I didn't watch [the episodes in advance]," he shared. "Sunday night was the first time I saw it with Camila [Alves McConaughey, and a] bottle of wine. I didn't remember where the episode breaks were, so I was like everyone else, like, 'Oh, what happens next?' ... I watched it once a week like everyone else and loved it."
As much as they loved working together on the HBO series, Harrelson has been adamant that he has no interest in doing another season of theanthology series that has featured all-new castsled by Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Mahershala Ali, Taylor Kitsch, Vince Vaughn, Jodie Foster, and more.
"Matthew's so funny, but in fairness, never. Not a chance," Harrelson saidduring an October visitto3rd Hour of Today. "Because it turned out great. I love that it turned out the way it did. If anything, doing another season would, I think, tarnish that."
But Harrelson and McConaughey will be working together again! The duo will next be seen together in the new Apple TV+ comedy seriesBrother From Another Mother, playing fictionalized versions of themselves living together on McConaughey's Texas ranch.
A release date for the series has not yet been set.
Watch Harrelson and McConaughey's conversation above.
Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
