Matthew McConaughey reveals shocking Peru escape after fame rise

Matthew McConaughey has opened up about traveling to Peru under the name Mateo during a career reset.

During his latest chat, the actor recalled the period after 1996’s A Time to Kill, when he chose to step away from Hollywood for a 22-day trip to Peru.

On the No Magic Pill podcast with TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie, he explained that he went by Mateo throughout the journey to step away from his celebrity identity.

He said, “I needed to get my feet on the ground. So I click out. Boom. Go to Peru. I needed to find it, to check the validation. I knew I had it, I just had to go prove it again.”

He added, “But I did question, now that I just got famous, I've got all this affiliation for this and that and the other,” he continued. “And I'm trying to decipher which part's real, which part's bulls---.”

Describing the experience, he mentioned, “I was now at the place long enough to go, ‘I could live this. This could be my existence. As soon as you go, ‘I could do this.' Then you're like, ‘Well, I can return home.'”

Reflecting on the trip’s impact, McConaughey shared that meeting people as “Mateo” helped him reconnect with his identity beyond fame, saying it ultimately left him feeling grounded and more confident in who he is.

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