Matthew McConaughey Explains His Famous Catchphrase

published 12 March 2014

Matthew McConaughey has lit up the big screen, the silver screen, and our hearts with his Texas drawl and super buff bod for decades. His staple catchphrase, "Alright, alright, alright," has become legendary, and after his Best Actor acceptance speech at the Oscars, we started wondering about its genesis.

Luckily, the above video started making the rounds, in which McConaughey explains the origin behind the tag line. In the 2011 interview with George Stroumboulopoulos, the actor spoke to how he tapped into his first on-screen character, David Wooderson in Dazed and Confused. He had been listening to a live recording of an album by The Doors to get ready for his first scene, and in between two of the songs, Jim Morrison let out four of the now infamous "alrights."

McConaughey explained, "What is Wooderson about? He's about his car, getting high, rock and roll, and picking up chicks…alright, alright, alright." And there you have it, folks. History, made.

(via Uproxx)

Hallie has worked in beauty editorial for ten years and has been editorial director at Byrdie since 2021. Previously, she was a senior editor at Byrdie since 2016. During her time at Byrdie, she's written hundreds of high-performing stories on skincare, wellness (including fitness, diet, mental health, body image, et al) makeup, and hair. She's a regular on set, helping to source inspiration for makeup and hair looks, as well as interviewing celebrities, models, and other notable women and men in the beauty space.

Before that, Hallie ran Marie Claire's social media and wrote beauty and culture stories for the site, and helped launch Time Inc.'s digital-only beauty brand, MIMI. After college, she contributed to Time Out New York’s Shopping & Style section before landing her first beauty editor gig at Hearst's Real Beauty. Hallie's writing has also appeared in ELLE, Cosmopolitan, and InStyle. Hallie graduated with a BA in Communication Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Marie Claire Newsletter