Matthew McConaughey Addresses Anti-Christian Bias in Hollywood
By Cooper Dowd, Staff Writer
Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey said that he witnesses Christians in Hollywood compromise their faith for the sake of their career.
“I have had—and I won’t throw any people under the bus—but I have had moments where I was on stage receiving an award in front of my peers in Hollywood, and there were people in the crowd that I have prayed with before dinners many times, and when I thanked God, I saw some of those people go to clap, but then notice that, ‘This is gonna be a bad thing on my resume’ and then sit back on their hands,” McConaughey told podcast host Joe Rogan.
McConaughey could be referencing his famous Oscars speech in which he publicly thanked God for the win.
“God has graced my life with opportunities that I know are not of my hand or any other human hand,” he said from the stage at the time.
“I’ve seen people read the room and go, ‘Whoa, that wouldn’t bode well for me in the future,’ if for getting a job or you’re getting votes or what have you,” McConaughey told Rogan. “I have seen that; I’ve witnessed that. … I don’t judge them for it, I just wish, you know—it seems like a silly argument.”
Rogan told the podcast host that he thinks the bias against Christians in Hollywood stems from the “illiberal” Left who delegitimize people based on belief.
“One of the things that … some people in our industry, not all of them, but there’s some… that go to the illiberal Left side so far that it’s so condescending and patronizing to 50% of the world that need the empathy that the liberals have, and should have,” McConaughey said.
“To… illegitimize [Christians] because they say they are a believer, it’s just so arrogant and in some ways hypocritical to me.”
McConaughey also spoke openly about how he believes — and has since college — that the Bible and physical world of science work together.
“Science is the practical pursuit of God,” McConaughey said. “The two are not exclusive, they dance together. They go together, belief and science, and I never saw those as contradictions.
“There’s a lot of great truths that come out of the Bible,” McConaughey added.
Movieguide® applauds McConaughey for speaking openly about his faith and encourages the actor to pursue more roles that align with his biblical belief system.
