The University of Texas at Austin announced Wednesday that Matthew McConaughey has been appointed as a professor of practice in the Department of Radio-Television-Film. He will continue to teach the "Advanced Producing: Script to Screen" class at the Moody College of Communication that he helped develop three years ago.
"It's the class I wish I would have had when I was in film school. Working in the classroom with these students gives me a chance to prepare them," McConaughey, who was previously a visiting instructor at the school, said in a statement through UT Austin. "Making movies, turning words on paper into film, is both a science and art – no matter the time or generation. The elements of truth and genuine joy for the process are timeless. That will always be our classroom focus."
McConaughey graduated from UT Austin with a film degree in 1993. That same year, his breakout performance in Dazed and Confused put him well on his way in Hollywood. After incorporating rom-coms into his filmography throughout the 2000s, McConaughey was finally recognized for his work in 2014 when he was the recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club.
During his award season run culminating in his Oscar win, McConaughey delivered one awe-inspiring speech after another which ranged from hyper-focused to borderline ridiculous but always exuded a level of cool that we could only hope to reach.
It's that unique style and flair that he will bring to his students as Professor McConaughey when the title takes effect starting in the fall 2019 term.
