Matthew McConaughey Says Woody Harrelson Could Be His 'Real Brother'
In a surprise Hollywood twist, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson have revealed their suspicions that they might be real brothers.
The stars of True Detective, who are reuniting for a new Apple TV+ comedy "Brother From Another Mother", have questioned whether they might actually have the same father in real life. Until now, Matthew believed he was born to Mary McCabe and James McConaughey in 1969, whereas Woody was born to Diane Oswald and Charles Harrelson in 1961. However, Matthew is questioning whether Charles, who died in 2007, might have been his father, too.
McConaughey recently announced on Kelly Ripa’s “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast that the series is titled “Brother From Another Mother.” While the series’ title evokes McConaughey and Harrelson’s real-life friendship over decades, McConaughey let it slip to Ripa that he’s actually questioning whether Harrelson is actually related to him.
It all stems from the revelation that McConaughey’s mother knew Harrelson’s father, perhaps intimately. “You know, where I start and where he ends, and where he starts and I end, has always been like a murky line. And that’s part of our bromance, right? My kids call him Uncle Woody. His kids call me Uncle Matthew. And you see pictures of us and my family thinks a lot of pictures of him are me. His family thinks a lot of pictures of me are him.”
McConaughey said, “In Greece a few years ago, we’re sitting around talking about how close we are and our families. And my mom is there, and she says, Woody, I knew your dad. Everyone was aware of the ellipses that my mom left after 'knew'. It was a loaded K-N-E-W. We went on to unpack what this ‘knew’ meant and did some math and found out that [Harrelson’s] dad was on furlough at the same time that my mom and dad were in their second divorce. Then there’s possible receipts and places out in West Texas where there might have been a gathering, or a meeting, or a ‘knew’ moment.”
Whether or not this real-life question factors into the Apple TV+ comedy series remains to be seen. The actors have not yet decided to take a DNA test to get proof of a potential family connection between them. “Look, it’s a little easier for Woody to say, ‘Come on, let’s do [DNA tests],’ because what’s the skin in it for him? It’s a little harder for me because he’s asking me to take a chance to go, Wait a minute, you’re trying to tell me my dad may not be my dad after 53 years of believing that? I got a little more skin in the game.”
