Greenlights (and Darkness) | Matthew McConaughey | EP 150

Buy Matthew McConaughey’s new book Greenlights: This episode was recorded: 12/21/2020 The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast can be found at Matthew McConaughey (actor, producer, and best-selling author of Greenlights) sits down with Jordan B. Peterson to talk about Matthew’s new book, his upbringing, his relationships with his mother and father, his journey to being at peace with his fame, what it’s like to play malevolent or dark characters in movies or on television, and a surprising satirical review of Greenlights. Find Matthew McConaughey on Twitter @McConaughey and on Instagram @officiallymcconaughey and basically anywhere. Check out his new book Greenlights, which has sold more than 1 million copies, available at Dr. Jordan B. Peterson’s new book, Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life, is available for preorder now: - Show Notes: [1:00] Jordan Peterson kicks off the conversation by asking why and how Matthew McConaughey wrote his book Greenlights. [4:00] Matthew realized he needed to write the book himself without a ghostwriter as initially planned and dig back into his journals as a form of necessary reflection on the past. [6:00] Matthew’s old journals revealed their common thread through all the stories, poems, and bumper stickers. That common thread was the creation of good things in life through mindset or action “Greenlights.” [12:00] Jordan talks about his initial response after reading Matthew’s book and how his expectations were changed. [14:00] Matthew talks about his solo trips when starting to create the structure of his book. Jordan comments that this was a book written by a celebrity that did not really focus on the traditional parts of being a celebrity (very family-focused and foundational). Matthew states, “When we were editing the book, I found that the more personal the stories became, the more relatable they seemed to become, to the human condition, and that was my hope.” [18:00] Jordan and Matthew revisit the African trip, chasing dreams and having the same exact dream multiple times over the span of many years. [24:00] What was the personal impact on Matthew during his trip to Africa where he got to strip away the identity we all know him for and exist as something else? Jordan comments that very often, people confuse their reputation with who they really are, and they start to act as a representation of their reputation instead of themselves; it’s an easy trap to fall into. [22:00] Matthew discusses dealing with the pitfalls of fame. Matthew covers his changing relationship with his mother due to success. [25:00] Jordan B. Peterson asks Matthew McConaughey about some of his acting work in True Detective and playing dark characters. “How do you play a dark role very well without letting the darkness invade you?” [32:00] Matthew talks about the positive aspects of the sometimes tense relationship with his father and having a childhood that balanced love and hardship directed from the same people. [37:00] Jordan and Matthew continue talking about going deeper into the psychology of a dark character like Rustin Cole on True Detective [45:30] Matthew expanded on the short-term effects of initial fame. [51:30] Matthew and Jordan discuss the long-term effects of fame. [55:00] Jordan points out, “If flawed people were incapable of creativity, we would have no creativity.” [1:03:00] How Matthew and Jordan first became friends. [1:07:30] Matthew shares a comical review of his own book written as if Jordan was the one reviewing it. // SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL // Newsletter: Donations: // COURSES // Discovering Personality: Self Authoring Suite: Understand Myself (personality test): // BOOKS // Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos: Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief: // LINKS // Website: Events: Blog: Podcast: Reading List: Merchandise: // SOCIAL // Twitter: Instagram: Facebook: // SPONSORS // For Advertising Inquiries, visit