SAN ANTONIO – You know the name and most of us know his Texas ties.
“Born in Uvalde, raised in Longview, and went to school in Austin,” Academy Award-winning actor, Matthew McConaughey said, recalling his youth in South Texas during a chat with SA Live’s Jen Tobias-Struski.
The movie star has been on a virtual book tour for his New York Times Best Seller, “Greenlights.” It’s now number two on the best-seller list, following Barack Obama’s new book.
In the memoir, McConaughey mentions his time growing up in Uvalde. One of the more memorable moments is when he admitted that he thought for decades he had won “Little Mr. Texas” because his mother told him he had. He found out years ago that he was the runner-up.
One story not included in the book is how he and his mother would take drives to San Antonio for young McConaughey to visit his doctor so he could have tubes pulled out of his ears.
“So I would have to get them pulled, and that was the road trip to San Antonio from Uvalde when I was a young kid,” McConaughey said. “My mom said we can put you under but it will cost like $500 or if you just sit in the chair and real still and go through the pain for like $150, and the deal was if you do it for $150 and save us the money and go through the pain, I’ll get you a TCBY yogurt on the way home. So I’d cry, but I’d get a yogurt on the way home.”
McConaughey said he had tubes in his ears seven times.
During the interview, McConaughey also talked about trying to get acting roles in San Antonio, and he recalled the story of what led to one of his most famous lines, “Alright, alright, alright,” from the movie “Dazed and Confused.”
That story and the extended interview are in the video above. Look for more on this story Friday on SA Live at 1 p.m. on KSAT 12.