Matthew McConaughey Proposes Experiment To Take People ‘Back to Where They Were Conceived’

In a conversation with Rick Rubin, the 55-year-old actor suggests spending time where you were conceived could inspire self-discovery.

November 14, 2024

Matthew McConaughey has a theory he wants to test out.

In a new interview with Rick Rubin for his Tentragrammaton podcast, the 55-year-old actor discussed a recent visit to Marfa, Texas, where he spent time reflecting on new material he’s written in the last four years following the release of his 2020 memoir, Greenlights, which received a paperback release this week.

Around the 17-minute mark, McConaughey explains that he feels deeply connected to Marfa because he was conceived nearby.

“But it hit me about, ‘Why am I so fired up?’ Tuned in. Again, the mother feelings as primal as I can ever feel when I'm out there in Marfa,” McConaughey said of his feelings being in the city.

“There's a theory I'm working on now and I'm asking people about it. I was conceived four miles from where I was writing,” McConaughey told Rubin.

“People always go, ‘Where are you from? Where were you raised?’ I'm interested in an experiment of taking people back to where they were conceived—whether they know it or not, and see what happens over three months or six months of their life.

“I think there's the Alpha, Omega—I think there's a beginning and an end. If we go back to conception,” he added.

“There’s so much we don’t know,” Rubin replied.

“I love to know and also try to remind myself ‘Great, also know what you don't know,’” the actor concluded.