Matthew McConaughey recalls getting way too stoned with Willie Nelson

Patrick Ryan, USA TODAYFri, August 14, 2026 at 11:01 AM UTC

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NEW YORK – There’s a cruel irony to getting cast as a beekeeper, only to discover that you’re severely allergic.

That happened to Matthew McConaughey as he was about to start filming “The Rivals of Amziah King” (in theaters Aug. 14), a music-driven thriller about a mischievous Oklahoman (McConaughey) who teaches his former foster daughter (Angelina LookingGlass) about the shockingly cutthroat honey business.

“The good news is, if you’re going to find out you’re allergic to bee stings, it’s best for it to happen five days before production, which is when I got stung,” says McConaughey, 56, on a recent visit to USA TODAY’s studio.

As he was driving home that day, “I started noticing my peripheral vision is getting less and less, and I’m like, ‘Well, something’s in my eye!’ ” the Oscar winner recalls. “I pull down the little vanity mirror and the whole left side of my face was swollen shut. I was like, ‘Oh, I guess I’m allergic!’ ”

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While most actors might then demand using a stunt double or CGI insects, McConaughey took the injury in stride.

“The scene where I’m holding the queen bee, and tens of thousands of bees are swarming around me – we moved that to the last scene of (filming), in case I got bit,” he says with a grin. “Then you don’t need this face on film anymore!”

McConaughey chats with USA TODAY about Willie Nelson, his most underrated movies and what's in his fridge.

This conversation has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

If suddenly we discovered a bee’s nest in the corner of this room, would you be running for the door along with the rest of us?

Matthew McConaughey: I wouldn't be running for the door. I've learned that they're actually like dogs that way: They love to chase if you run. Part of getting along with bees is remaining calm. You may get a rogue bee that's pissed off anyway; it's going to bite no matter what. But a large part of it is: Do not tense up. When I had all those bees hanging off my arm, that was about a 40-minute shot and my arm’s getting very tired. And the last thing I want to do is clench up because then I’m going to get stung and I’ll have to try and grin through that.

So we’d be safe with you around?

I don’t know if you’d be safe! [Laughs.] But I’d remain calm if I were you.

There’s an incredible sequence where Amziah breaks down all the staples of a great potluck dinner. What are the must-haves at the McConaughey table?

I’m a little more informal, but my wife, Camila, is very good at putting together a meal that is fully proper and has many courses. What we can do that nobody’s going to get anywhere else is estrogonofe [stroganoff], which is a Brazilian dish, or brigadeiro [a chocolate truffle-like sweet] for dessert. I’m pretty good on the grill: 1⅝-inch thick rib eyes with my secret rub. Or if it’s less formal, my tuna fish salad.

Amziah says there’s truth and lies in everything. What's the story of your tuna salad?

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The tuna salad is the truth because it comes from a ritual on Sunday. In Brazil, they call it mexidão, which is you clean out the fridge of everything before it goes bad, and you use the last of any kind of leftovers to make a dish. My tuna fish salad is reminiscent of that: I can open up the fridge and I have a pretty good eye for what might go together. It’s a different story every single time. Some people don’t care for the green peas, but those are optional.

You also learned mandolin for this movie. Would you ever get noise complaints, or is that just when you play the bongos?

That’s bongos, with a particular neighbor who no longer lives there. I think they got booted from the neighborhood. [Laughs.] No, where I happened to be when we were playing loud, either no one could hear it or they liked what they heard.

You’re quite an accomplished musician, and you’re also good friends with Willie Nelson. What’s one of your favorite memories of hanging out with Willie?

The first time I was on his bus – and you know what happens on his bus – I was hosting. So I've got my steaks all marinated; I'm going to be cooking the rib eyes that day on the grill. I get on his bus and partake of what you partake of when you're on Willie's bus. All of a sudden, it hits me: “Oh, s---! The steaks are burning!” I jet off the bus, I run over to the grill … I hadn’t even lit it yet. The subplot becomes unmanageable! Yeah, that’s a good Willie story.

You’ve made all kinds of movies big and small, many of which are widely beloved. But what’s something that deserves a second look? Maybe it didn’t get a fair shake from critics or audiences at the time?

I've had quite a few that found a higher gear later. I mean, “Dazed and Confused” was not a hit when it first came out. It’s a cult classic now. “Sahara” seemed to have a good afterlife. It didn’t do well enough in our opening to make a second one. “Interstellar” did well, but, boy, the 10-year anniversary was like a brand-new release for the movie. Seventy percent of the people who come up to me now [want to talk about] “Interstellar”: “I’ve seen it four times! I’ve seen it six times!”

“The Rivals of Amziah King,” we’re an independent film and independent films don’t come out on a massive amount of screens. Is it a movie worth seeing? I believe it damn sure is. I hope it finds the right people.

I’ve seen “Serenity” a few times now, and I believe you and Anne Hathaway are exactly locked into the tone of what that film needs to be.

I think so, too. I enjoyed making that movie. Anne and I have worked together a few times, and I think we’re pretty good at locking in and not trespassing on each other’s energy. I applaud her for that. Not many people saw that movie, but it’s worth checking out. That’s a trippy little film – it’s oddly cool.

Speaking of “Interstellar,” have you seen “The Odyssey” yet?

No, I’ve been out of the country. I just got back from Italy and as soon as I got back, boom! We hit the trail [promoting “Amziah King”]. But I’m looking forward to seeing that this weekend. My son and I are going to see it in IMAX.

Have you ever reached out to Christopher Nolan about working together again, like, “Hey, where was my role in ‘Oppenheimer’ or ‘The Odyssey'?”

Not directly. We’d both enjoy the prospect of working together again on the right thing. Part of why he’s really good at what he does is he has a singular obsession with each film and that’s its own universe. He said the film that made him come to me for “Interstellar” was “Mud.” And I’m not going to throw that in the category of ones that no one’s seen – I think that got its head above the waterline.

But as far as Nolan goes, it’d be fun strapping the boots on again and going to work. It’s a full commitment to work with him and no one’s more committed.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Matthew McConaughey recalls getting way too stoned with Willie Nelson

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