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Matthew McConaughey got his big break as a leading drama actor, thanks to his role as attorney Jake Brigance inA Time to Kill. It was Joel Schumacher’s second film adaptation of a John Grisham novel. Interestingly, the studio initially wanted a recognizable name in the role of the young lawyer. The director was among the few who believed McConaughey could pull off a leading role.
One particular story theInterstellaractor shared from the set about filming the most important scene suggests that he and Schumacher were destined to be collaborators for this project. McConaughey’s closing statement had the power to make or break the film, but it was a supernatural connection between the director and actor that helped nail the scene.
Matthew McConaughey recalls the telepathic communication withA Time to Killdirector
InA Time to Kill,Matthew McConaughey‘s Jake takes on the case of a father who killed his daughter’s r*pists. Being an underdog attorney, he goes against the powerful district attorney Rufus Buckley, played by Kevin Spacey. Appearing on theWTF with Marc Maronpodcast in 2021, McConaughey shared some BTS look into the one scene where Jake gets the upper hand over Rufus in court.
In what is considered to be one of his best acting performances, McConaughey delivers a powerful closing statement for the jury. It perfectly aligns with the racial themes of the film, where Jake describes the r*pe of Hailey, a Black girl, in harrowing detail and then asks the jury to imagine her as White. It was a crucial scene that helped the jury to see beyond their biases.
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McConaughey shared that he andJoel Schumacherhad kind of a telepathic communication during the filming. During this particular scene, he was ready to deliver his final bit in a close-up shot and just glanced at the director. Schumacher, who was setting up wide shots to allow the actor to warm his way up into the scene, immediately changed his mind. McConaughey shared:
I remember Joel Schumacher going, ‘I’m going to shoot the jury first, we’ll do the wide shots, you can warm your way up into it.’ I wasn’t even looking at him, I was gazing off, I was already in my zone. He was saying that and I was not agreeing with him. I just kind of glanced out of my eye and he goes, without missing a beat, ‘And we’re going to shoot the wide — No, I take that back. We’re shooting Jake Brigance’s closeup first, everyone get ready.’
McConaughey shared that from his single glance, Schumacher could tell that he was ready for the shot. It was a surprising connection, given McConaughey and Schumacher were working together for the first time. He shared:
He could tell I was locked in. I let him know without saying ‘I was locked in’ [that] I was locked in. He said we’re not going to shoot everything first and let you warm up. We’re going to cover you right now first because you’re ready.
McConaughey was initially called in to audition for the role of the villain Freddie Lee Cobb in the film. McConaughey took his chance and asked Schumacher if he could play the lead role of Jake. Schumacher shared that it would never happen as the studio wouldn’t cast a newbie in the role. However,the director liked McConaugheyand decided to take the chance with him.
Matthew McConaughey knew that he had to nail the closing statement scene
Matthew McConaughey impressed everyone with his screen test, which was held in secret since Joel Schumacher didn’t want a bad mark on the actor if he didn’t get the role (via Variety). Throughout the film, McConaughey tried his best to uphold the trust that the director and the studio had in him.
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When he read Akiva Goldsman’s script for the final summation scene, he knew that it was a scene that he should absolutely nail. He shared with Marc Maron that none of his other performances in the film mattered until he got this one right. He shared:
This summation is the thing that has to work. If this doesn’t work, doesn’t matter how good you do in the rest of the movie. The movie doesn’t work and your performance won’t work unless you nail this.
A Time to Killwas a commercial success as it earned $152 million at the worldwide box office (via The Numbers). McConaughey’s transition from his comedy role inDazed and Confusedto the more serious role of Jake surprised everyone. He was even recognized for Best Breakthrough Performance at the MTV Awards for the film.
A Time to Killis now available for streaming on PlutoTV.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3017
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
