Matthew McConaughey’s 30 Year History With Country Music Videos

Matthew McConaughey is one of the most well-know, and beloved, actors in Hollywood… well, technically Texas. But believe it or not, he has quiet the connection to country music, one that goes all the way back to the very, very beginning of illustrious acting career.

In 1992, a then-unknown Matthew McConaughey starred in Trisha Yearwood’s 1992 “Walkaway Joe” (ft. Don Henley) music video. He was just a film student at the University of Texas at the time, and was mostly auditioning for regional beer commercials before he got the call, well… the page… to come down and audition for the music video.

He recalled the music video while talking with Trisha Yearwood, and Garth Brooks, who was guest-hosting for Ellen DeGeneres:

“I remember I was wearing a pager at the time, because I remember I was in school at the University of Texas and anytime that pager would go off, and they’d say, ‘Can you get to San Antonio and audition for this beer commercial or this music video?’ I’d bam! Out of class. I’m out of here, trying it out.

Well, I was about 0 for 18, and then I got the pager came on to come try out for this video, and I got that one.”

McConaughey also recalled the audition on Justin Moore’s podcast, saying that it was basically a modeling job:

“I was down there at school at the University of Texas, and I went and got me an agent… but I was looking for work in front of the camera, so I always wore a pager. And that pager would go off and say, ‘Hey can you be in San Antonio in an hour in a half for a Dwight Yoakam video,’ or whatever… and I’d hop up and go.

I didn’t get many of them, but that day it was, ‘would you come down and audition for this Trisha Yearwood video?’ And it was basically a modeling job. I think I was wearing a t-shirt like this, walking around… so we went and shot it there in Central Texas, it was one of my first gigs.”

The 23-year-old McConaughey was just starting out as an actor when he was cast for the video, but the very next year, he dropped that famous “alright, alright, alright,” line in the cult classic, Dazed and Confused, and the rest was history.

In addition to Dazed and Confused, you have movies like Dallas Buyer’s Club, Interstellar, True Detective, The Wolf Of Wall Street, Magic Mike, the list goes on. And even though he made a concentrated effort to get away from the rom-coms, and turned down a lot of money doing so, some of those great rom-coms like Failure to Launch and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days are just too good.

But it all started right here… enjoy:

But that wasn’t all… Matthew would make another country music video appearance nearly 20 years later… with his friend Jamey Johnson.

“Playing The Part

McConaughey was a huge fan of Jamey’s 2007 album, That Lonesome Song, and wound up meeting McConaughey at the 2009 ACM Awards in Vegas. Johnson famously wouldn’t take his eyes off Camila, and a friendship was born. Jamey headed off to Brazil with Matt and Camila shorty after that for a little backpacking trip, and as you all know, Matt and Camila would wind up getting married a few years later.

But by 2010, Matthew McConaughey was a top tier actor who already had films like A Time To Kill, Failure To Launch, and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days under his belt, but he was a a bit jaded by the rom-com thing, and looking to try something new. Of course, he’s also been involved in a good amount of behind-the-camera work through the years as well. Jamey Johnson released his album The Guitar Song in 2010, and decided he needed a music video for one of the songs, “Playing The Part,” which is about missing his old life and where he’s from while going through the motions to make it in the Hollywood.

Here’s a quick look at the chorus:

“When the only LA I knew was lower Alabama
Back when me and Hannah were wishing on a southern star
Now its so complicated, I really hate it, why’d I ever want to go so far
Taking depression pills in the Hollywood Hills
Acting like I’m playing the part…”

Well, when you’re friends with a hot shot (and superb talent) like McConaughey, who is certainly in the Hollywood scene but by no means consumed by it, it’s probably a pretty short list of who you call to direct the video. The result was a 7-minute and a half minute, ridiculous, weird, yet still very clever, reflection of what most of Hollywood is: a bunch of people playing dress up and acting like they’re more important than they are.

And while you don’t find it out until the end of the video, the man in the gorilla suit? None other than McConaughey himself.

Jamey Johnson and Matthew McConaughey are pretty different in a lot of ways, but very similar in ethos. Popular outlaws, at the outskirts of the inner circle. Part of the scene, but in no way controlled by it. I’d kill to be a fly on the wall for a night out with those two…

Check it out:

But wait, there’s more… another 14 YEARS later.

“Nine Ball”

Last year, Zach Bryan teamed up with Matthew McConaughey for a cinematic music video for his track “Nine Ball.” All of this started when Zach Bryan did a pop-up show at Austin’s historic Sagebrush, where a limited number of fans were let into the venue for an acoustic show. From the clippings of the surprise set, it seemed like it was the start of a larger project, which was revealed shortly after.

Bryan has really leaned into cinematic storytelling in the creation of this music video, focusing heavily on the “Great American Bar Scene” he champions, and the lyrics of the song “My father was a betting man.” But the Oscar-winning actor wasn’t the only heavy hitter that ZB enlisted for this project; he also brought in actors Tye Sheridan and Scott Shepard.

The video shows McConaughey showing his son the ropes of shooting pool, and as the song goes on, the son grows up to become a pool shark on his own. His father uses his son as a pawn to keep betting on games, knowing he will win,  until one game goes south. A massive bar fight breaks out, and his son has to help him out of the bad scene, running to his rescue.

It’s definitely a really cool music video, especially as far as music videos go these days, but it also illustrates the nearly 35-year relationship with country music that Matthew McConaughey has had. All the way back in 1992 with Trisha Yearwood, and then today, working with Zach. And that’s not all… Matt also provided a narration that teased an upcoming Zach Bryan film called Motorbreath:

“This is not a film about a band, this is a film about a boy from Oklahoma. A boy who joined the Navy, with a love of writing. That writing connected with people, a lot of people. This film is about a group of best friends taking a two-week motorcycle ride across America, while recording one final major label album. Oh, and the title of the film you ask? ‘Motorbreath.’”

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A post shared by Zach Bryan (@zachlanebryan)

It’s unclear if McConaughey will be involved in the production, or if he just did the teaser video, but either way, it’s enough to get fans VERY excited. Of course, Zach’s upcoming project, With Heaven On Top, is slated for January of 2026, so I’m not quite sure when Motorbreath will come into play, but Zach DID make a cross country motorcycle trip earlier this year. So perhaps the footage has already been captured?

Stay tuned for that, but in the meantime, enjoy Zach Bryan and Matthew McConaughey’s “Nine Ball” music video:

The post Matthew McConaughey’s 30 Year History With Country Music Videos first appeared on Whiskey Riff.