I’m Begging Matthew McConaughey to Go Back to What He Does Best

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On Sunday, actor and Texas native Matthew McConaughey, posted a six-minute video to social media imploring people to consider voting independent in the upcoming midterm elections. With the stunningly maverick caption “Independent counts,” McConaughey says that he is endorsing two things, “fairness and reality,” because, to him, a “fair fight” is “not just two fighters throwing the same punches at each other for 50 years.” At some point, he states, “Here’s a fact: The No. 1 political identity in America today is not Republican. It is not Democrat. It is independent.” For the rest of the video, McConaughey goes on to use an unsurprising number of football metaphors—he refers to the percentage of House seats decided in party primaries as “not a competition” but “more like a scrimmage”; he compares the existing parties playing in their own “end zones” to independents who “keep the game between the 40s” (as in yard lines) “where most of America actually lives”—to uplift the independent candidacy. In his plea, he also praises former Sen. Joe Manchin’s organization, the Independent Leadership Council, which really tells you all you need to know. Finally, he ends his message with some uninspired wordplay about America’s foundation: “America’s brand was never R or D, it’s independence. Enjoy yours.”

This statement earned McConaughey tsk-tsks from notable Democrats such as Hillary Clinton and San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones. Many of his fans also responded to the video with disapproval over McConaughey’s display of cowardly both sides–ing, effectively throwing his vote away to the advantage of the Republican Party. (Yes, he insists voting independent isn’t a waste, but in reality where the rest of us live, we all know that—to quote one of my colleagues’ reactions, referencing the sitcom 30 Rock: “That’s Republican; we count those.”)

McConaughey is entitled to his own opinion, but frankly, I don’t want to hear it. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that I really don’t care to hear from him again unless it’s him announcing that he’s gone back to where he belongs: starring in romantic comedies. (Or another Magic Mike. I’d take that, too.)

It’s been a long time since McConaughey has acted in a rom-com. Remember the glory days of the 2000s? The Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Failure to Launch, Fool’s Gold, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past—McConaughey perfected portraying the handsome guy with the charming accent whom the protagonist doesn’t want to like but can’t help falling in love with. As far as playing the middle goes, McConaughey excelled at hitting that sweet spot five paces away from smarmy where dashing and confident lie. Then he consciously stepped away from it all, professing that he didn’t love those kinds of roles and was seeking more challenging projects. When he came back to Hollywood with an eye turned toward dramatic roles, he ushered in the McConnaissance, a period during which he became an Oscar-winning, top-billed actor in awards-bait-y, “serious” titles like Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf of Wall Street, and True Detective. In recent years, his career has quieted again, despite attempts to get projects like his Apple TV series with Woody Harrelson, Brothers, to top the charts. He might be in danger of becoming more known for playing up center-aisle politics off the screen than for anything he’s doing on it.

God, what I wouldn’t give to see him back in some fun, stakes-free romantic comedies. Few things compare to the high of watching him charm the world as Jennifer Lopez’s client-turned-paramore, or as the man who bet at odds with Kate Hudson. In a time when the world is asking for more good theatrical romantic comedy releases, perhaps McConaughey could be the genre’s salvation. I’d much prefer seeing him fall in love with a sassy lady played by Reese Witherspoon than spouting off some “both sides” bullshit in a video that looks like it was recorded in the basement of a ranch.

And hey, I don’t want to be too mean here. I’m a Black woman in America—I know how upsetting it can be when your favorite athletes or celebrities get told to “shut up and dribble” or keep politics out of their music, as if merely existing isn’t already an obstacle course of political decision-making. But it doesn’t take a whole lot of brainpower to know that fixing our two-party system isn’t going to happen overnight, and it damn sure won’t happen because an out-of-touch actor is caping for centrism and an obstructive asshole who voted against women’s health. If McConaughey wants to actually do something radical, how about he start by soliciting scripts with happy romantic endings? That would be all right, all right, all right with me.