Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey finds himself in a lot of tropical movies, and sometimes he is in real life like the characters he plays in the movies. This time we talk about his Spanish, his passion for reading and traveling. His charm and relaxed vibe puts you at ease within seconds.Q. How is your Spanish?
A. It is not perfect but I manage very well and I speak it often. It's very interesting to try to communicate in Spanish because I don't speak as good in Spanish and sometimes I try to find the meaning of what I want to say. It is harder but I find a way to say it, maybe in a more poetic way. I end up saying something really nice and creative.
Q. How the Spanish came to your life?
A. All my life I've been speaking Spanish, since I lived in Uvalde, Texas, eighty miles from the Mexican border. My brother also can talk in Spanish as well as all my friends from there; most of them actually were Mexicans and I've been in Spain, and here in California I speak Spanish quite often, too.
Q. How difficult is it to communicate when you speak Spanish?
A. It's not difficult. If anything it's been an asset. When I speak Spanish I choose my words very carefully. I may say like, for instance: “My first days in this world were in the windy city”. See, so all of a sudden you frame this little poetic thing and the other person understands that's Chicago. You respect the language more and it becomes a little bit more like charades. You have to almost explain what you mean.
Q. Growing with people from Mexico, what do you like most of the Spanish culture?
A. My favorite thing is to get together with my friends, eat and talk all night long. That's very Latin and it's cool.
Q. Can you joke in Spanish?
A. Yeah. I joke in Spanish.
Q. Are you already dreaming in Spanish?
A. No. I am not that good yet.
Q. Do you like to read?
A. Yes I read a lot. My favorite book is The Greatest Salesman in the World , by Og Mandino and I do read Spanish authors like Mario Vargas Llosa or Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
