Matthew McConaughey is choosing to let his faith and belief be the guiding force of his life.
The actor, author, business owner, minister (of culture) and philanthropist took some time recently to sit down with Willie Geist for a Sunday Sitdown. In the interview, he talked about his most recent movie – The Lost Bus – and his latest book titled Poems & Prayers, which was somewhat of a follow up to his New York Times bestselling memoir Greenlights.
McConaughey told the Today host that he penned Poems & Prayers for himself more than anything else. It just so happened to be helpful enough that he thought others could benefit from reading it, and insisted that the main theme of the book is that belief is needed today now more than ever:
“I wrote this book because belief was getting in short supply for me. I was starting to look down my nose and get a little cynical. I was starting to go, ‘Maybe this is just how it is.’ I said, ‘No, I’m not ready to wave the white flag and let doubt win in me.’
I noticed that a lot of people were saying the same thing. We need belief. Whether that’s in God, whether that’s in your kids or your future, your better self, we need more of it and we need to double down on it.”
Belief can be a beautiful thing.
The interview turned from religion to politics awfully fast, as Willie Geist used belief as a segue to ask about politics. Once again, McConaughey suggested that a big part of sparking change – if someone wishes to do so – is believing in one’s self, each other, or a higher power:
“The idea of America is about the continual pursuit to never say, ‘This is just how it is.’ I think it’s going to be a punk rock rebellion, and not a Kumbaya, namaste, let’s be peaceful and see what happens. I think it’s gonna take some rage on the part of believers – whether it be God or self or better self or each other, grabbing the mic back.”
And it wouldn’t have been an interview with Matthew McConaughey without checking in on the status of his will-he, won’t-he political run.
The Oscar-winning actor and author has teased running for office for years. Back in 2024, McConaughey really seemed to be entertaining a run for the governor of Texas. During the election year, the man known for such hit films as Interstellar and Dazed and Confused was asked about his interest again and again.
Fast forward to 2026 and he’s still being asked if he’d consider diving into the political world. He was a little apprehensive in his response, but didn’t rule it out entirely:
“Right now, I think this is the best thing. But I’m open to where my voice and understanding could be most useful. Where and what I could learn. Maybe I’ll find an avenue I don’t even know yet. Maybe leadership down the road in another category. Maybe in a political category. I think we’ve got a call to action in front of us. We just have to not concede and go, ‘This is just the way it is.'”
You can view McConaughey’s full interview below:
