5) Matthew McConaughey
Where he started: McConaughey’s breakout role was in Dazed and Confused, and he starred in legal thriller A Time for Kill before going on to topline movies like Contact, Amistad, The Newton Boys, EDtv and U-571. Before long, though, the actor had been typecast by Hollywood as a romantic leading man, appearing in hits like The Wedding Planner and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The high-profile failure of adventure pic Sahara drove him further into the rom-com genre, with Failure to Launch becoming one of the most successful films of his career.
Where he ended up: With an Oscar, for one. The actor’s well-documented McConaissance, in which he rehabilitated his image to be taken more seriously as a dramatic actor, is widely believed to have started with his intense turn as an ex-convict in indie drama Mud (though it could be argued that his committed portrayal of Mickey Haller in the more mainstream The Lincoln Lawyer marked McConaughey’s turning point). Playing a menacing strip club owner in Magic Mike drove home the concept that McConaughey was a much more talented actor than some had given him credit for, but it was Dallas Buyers Club, for which he dropped almost 50 pounds, that brought him widespread acclaim and the Oscar. Since then, he’s led Christopher Nolan space epic Interstellar.
Up next? Gus Van Sant’s mystery drama The Sea of Trees and historical drama The Free State of Jones.
Transformative role: Mud, Mud
