The actor shared that he and his co-star from True Detective “did some math” to uncover the surprising connection after his mother unexpectedly revealed that she knew Harrelson’s father.
In a recent interview on Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera, Matthew McConaughey shared that he and his True Detective co-star and close friend Woody Harrelson are contemplating the idea of taking a DNA test after realizing that they might actually be brothers.
McConaughey revealed that his mother had disclosed to him that she knew Harrelson’s father, possibly on an intimate level, which has led to some intriguing speculation between the two actors.
McConaughey, who is 53 years old, explained, “You know, where I start and where he ends, and where he starts and I end, has always been like a murky line. And that’s part of our bromance, right? My kids call him Uncle Woody. His kids call me Uncle Matthew. And you see pictures of us and my family thinks a lot of pictures of him are me. His family thinks a lot of pictures of me are him.”
The uncanny resemblance between the two has sparked curiosity and the possibility of a familial connection.
During a conversation in Greece a few years back, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson were discussing their close friendship and families when McConaughey’s mother made a surprising comment. “Woody, I knew your dad,” she said, leaving a loaded silence with the ellipses after “knew.” This remark sparked curiosity in the two actors and motivated them to dig into their family histories to uncover the truth.
“We went on to unpack what this ‘knew’ meant and did some math,” McConaughey revealed. “We found out that (Harrelson’s) dad was on furlough at the same time that my mom and dad were in their second divorce. Then there are possible receipts and places out in west Texas where there might have been a gathering, or a meeting, or a ‘knew’ moment.” The pieces seemed to align, suggesting a potential connection between Harrelson’s father, Charles, and McConaughey’s family.
Charles Harrelson was a convicted contract killer who spent time in jail for armed robbery and murder, and who claimed to have assassinated John F. Kennedy. He passed away in prison in 2007.
In a 2012 interview with The Guardian, Woody Harrelson mentioned that he got along with his father “pretty good” despite their separation at a young age.
McConaughey and Harrelson both have two brothers each and have previously appeared together onscreen in the film EDtv and the series True Detective. They are also slated to come together again in an upcoming Apple TV+ comedy show titled Brother from Another Mother. In this show, they will be playing fictionalized versions of themselves residing on a ranch in Texas. However, the release date for the show has not been confirmed yet.
McConaughey shared that he and Harrelson are still considering whether or not to take a DNA test to confirm any potential familial connection. “It’s a little easier for Woody to say, ‘Come on, let’s do [DNA tests],’ because what’s the skin in it for him?” McConaughey explained. “It’s a little harder for me because he’s asking me to take a chance to go, “Wait a minute, you’re trying to tell me my dad may not be my dad after 53 years of believing that?’ I’ve got a little more skin in the game.”