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Matthew McConaughey Says 47-Pound 'Gold' Weight Gain Turned Him Into 'Captain Fun'

For the film Gold (in theaters now), Matthew McConaughey did something that was totally new for him, if all too familiar to the rest of us: He got really out of shape. The Oscar winner put on 47 pounds to play businessman turned gold prospector Kenny Wells in the adventure drama, based on the true story of an infamous 1993 mining scandal. And while he’s undergone major body transformations for roles before — like the 38 pounds he lost for Dallas Buyers Club and the serious muscle he put on for Magic Mike — this is the first time McConaughey committed to getting fat. Turns out, he loved it. And so did his three kids.

“I was Captain Fun — that was my nickname around the house, because I was [saying] yes to everything,” McConaughey told E! News. “I was a really fun dad for that six months because I was like, ‘No, pizza night’s not just Friday night — it’s Tuesday night; it’s Wednesday morning.”

Matthew McConaughey in 'Gold' (Photo: The Weinstein Company)
Matthew McConaughey in Gold. (Photo: The Weinstein Company)

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McConaughey’s diet plan — which he described as “six months to say yes to whatever you want to eat and whatever you want to drink, whenever” — included tons of cheeseburgers (his favorite food) and beer, along with a total avoidance of exercise. “I wouldn’t even take the stairs to the second floor,” he said.

Of course, Captain Fun’s days were numbered, and McConaughey is still working hard to get his old body back. “I looked at myself like, ‘This is not going to happen overnight. This isn’t going to happen in a couple or a few months,’” he admitted, joking, “I still have a couple things back here that feel like they’re renting to own.”

Not all actors get such enjoyment out of gaining weight for a role. Speaking with Yahoo Movies in November, Colin Farrell said that gaining 40 pounds for last year’s indie hit The Lobster was extremely tedious. “I ate a lot of ice cream,” he said. “I would just melt it in the microwave and chug it back. And cheeseburgers and fried foods for breakfast. It gets boring when you have to eat. Part of the fun of doing it is knowing you’re not supposed to. When you have the directive that you’re supposed to, it got boring very fast.”

McConaughey at the premiere on Jan. 17 (Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
McConaughey at the Gold premiere on Jan. 17 (Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

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Whether they enjoy the process or hate it, actors do have to be aware of the toll that huge physical changes can take on their bodies. Tom Hardy addressed that issue earlier this week in a Daily Beast interview, admitting that his rapid muscle gain for films like The Dark Knight Rises have made his body “achier” than it once was. “Compared to [Dark Knight Rises co-star] Christian Bale, I’m by no means extreme in my body changes, but for what little I’ve done, yeah, I certainly have joints that click that probably shouldn’t click, you know what I mean?” said Hardy. “And carrying my children is a little bit harder than it used to be — but don’t tell them!”

That said, some actors just can’t resist taking on the challenge of a physically transformative role — and it probably doesn’t hurt that such parts can be extremely attractive to Oscar voters (as McConaughey knows firsthand).

Watch the Gold trailer: