Inside Matthew McConaughey’s Cinema Dedication at Alamo Drafthouse Mueller

Alamo Drafthouse Mueller was officially dedicated as the Matthew McConaughey Cinema on Aug. 10, honoring the Academy Award-winning actor, Texas native and longtime Austin advocate. The dedication ceremony included the unveiling of a new Matthew McConaughey Cinema plaque, with remarks from Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, director Andrew Patterson and Alamo Drafthouse Director of Brand Strategy John Smith. Watson also proclaimed Aug. 10 Matthew McConaughey Cinema Day in Austin.

The evening continued with an advance screening of McConaughey’s new film, “The Rivals of Amziah King,” followed by a Q&A with McConaughey, Patterson and lead actress Angelina LookingGlass, moderated by Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro.

After the screening, McConaughey joined musicians from the film, including The Last Bison, for a live performance at Alamo Drafthouse Mueller’s Barrel O’ Fun bar.

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(From left) Levi, Camila, Matthew, Livingston and Vida Alves McConaughey attend the cinema dedication at Alamo Drafthouse Mueller. (Photo by Erika Rich)

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Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and Matthew McConaughey pose with the new Matthew McConaughey Cinema plaque. (Photo by Erika Rich)

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Matthew McConaughey performs with The Last Bison during the afterparty at Alamo Drafthouse Mueller. (Photo by Erika Rich)

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Matthew McConaughey, Angelina LookingGlass and director Andrew Patterson at the “The Rivals of Amziah King” screening at Alamo Drafthouse Mueller. (Photo by Erika Rich)

McConaughey reflects on his Austin beginnings

During the dedication ceremony, Patterson reflected on McConaughey’s impact beyond his film roles. “Matthew has given us performances, he’s given us his words, he’s given us poetry, he’s given us his voice, and I know that all of us here know that he’s given us a piece of his spirit,” Patterson said.

McConaughey also looked back on the Austin encounter that helped launch his acting career. He met casting director Don Phillips at an Austin bar, a chance meeting that eventually led to his role as David Wooderson in Richard Linklater’s 1993 film “Dazed and Confused.”

“What I learned on ‘Dazed and Confused’ is still paramount. I still use it to this day,” McConaughey said. “I learned the best way to do it, the first time I did it and that was on ‘Dazed and Confused,’ on Linklater’s set.”

The role introduced audiences to Wooderson’s now-famous “all right, all right, all right” and marked the beginning of a career that would later include performances in “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Interstellar” and HBO’s “True Detective.” McConaughey won the Academy Award for best actor for “Dallas Buyers Club.”

What’s next for McConaughey

His latest film, “The Rivals of Amziah King,” opens in theaters Aug. 14. Written by Patterson and James Montague, the crime drama follows Amziah King, a beekeeper and musician in rural Oklahoma who reunites with his former foster daughter, Kateri, as mounting threats put his honey business and community at risk.

McConaughey stars alongside LookingGlass, Kurt Russell, Cole Sprouse, Tony Revolori, Owen Teague, Jake Horowitz and Scott Shepherd.

McConaughey joins a group of filmmakers and performers honored with namesake Alamo Drafthouse cinemas, including Christopher Nolan, Pam Grier, Spike Lee, John Hughes and Ivan Reitman.

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