Matthew McConaughey grows up ... kind of

The Orange County Register (MCT) - Matthew McConaughey is neither dazed nor confused.

Despite a public perception that he mirrors his breakthrough role as an irresponsible and undisciplined stoner in the 1993 Richard Linklater film "Dazed and Confused," McConaughey is showing definite signs of ... gulp ... maturity.

At 38, he recently had a child with girlfriend Camila Alves, runs a film, music and merchandising company out of a two-story office building a block from the beach in Venice, and was a hands-on producer on the film "Surfer, Dude," which opened Friday.

That comma in the title is important, as the actor explains in this interview, which was conducted in his company office at jk livin' (Just Keep Living).

He stars in the film as a globe-trotting surfer who returns home to find that not only is there a wave-drought, but his sport and lifestyle are being threatened by sleazy TV producers trying to force him into reality television and video games. The project started 10 years ago, when the script arrived on his desk, and he has been involved in every step of the process for a decade.

The Texas-born McConaughey has been wearing his producer's hat while maintaining an active acting career that has run the gamut from dramas ("Two for the Money," "We Are Marshall") to romantic comedies ("The Wedding Planner," "Failure to Launch and "Fool's Gold"). He recently played Ben Stiller's agent in the hit comedy "Tropic Thunder."

McConaughey, who seems to go shirtless in many of his films, was kind enough to cover his washboard abs with a T-shirt for this interview (he says it was because the air conditioning was turned up too high).

Although he doesn't have as much time as he'd like to indulge his newest passion _ surfing, which he took up two years ago to prepare for his role in "Surfer, Dude" _ he says he is trying to maintain the freewheeling existence to which the world has grown accustomed.

But all is not as it seems.

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: Why the comma in the middle of the title?

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY: Because it's a movie that has a little more weight than just a movie called "Surfer Dude." Oh sure, we set it in a Southern California, fun-in-the-sun world. We've got blondes. We've got skin. We've got surfing. We've got all that. But it's really a movie about a summer without waves, as opposed to a summer with waves. It's more about how this guy handles that than just a lot of surfing shots and good times.

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OCR: I'm starting to wonder if that paparazzi fracas in Malibu was just a publicity stunt for this movie?

MM: No, no, no. I was just down the beach and the paparazzi were trying to track my moves. The beach community got upset that these guys were running down the beach with their cameras and they reacted.

OCR: These weren't friends of yours?

MM: No.

OCR: Were you aware of what was going on?

MM: I was out on the water, and I heard a ruckus. I looked but all I saw was a lot of people running around.

OCR: So, it wasn't a promotional stunt?

MM: No, but it would have been a good one.

OCR: Does it bother you that you can't enjoy a day surfing without photographers showing up?

MM: It came with the gig. As soon as I got famous and decided not to hide inside, I had to expect it. But they're getting the same pictures of me over and over again. I'd think they would get bored by now.

OCR: By the way, congratulations on the baby.

MM: Thank you.

OCR: How radical has your life changed?

MM: Not as much as people said it would. It wasn't a 180-degree turn. He's got a great mother, and I've got a great girlfriend, and we do the same stuff we were doing. It just takes a little more preparation time. You have to plan more time before you leave, and more time before you come home.

OCR: Were you pulling that CNN guy's leg when you told him you planned to bury the baby's placenta in an orchard according to some ancient custom?

MM: I haven't kept track of that. How did you hear about it?

OCR: It was all over the Internet.

MM (laughing): What's the deal with that?

OCR: People are thinking it's a weird Hollywood thing.

MM: Oh, it started long before Hollywood. What else is out there about me?

OCR: They're talking about you taking your baby to a rock concert.

MM: That's true. It was a John Mellencamp concert. It wasn't like it was front row at a Metallica concert.

OCR: So you weren't trying to be outrageous with CNN?

MM: I don't see what's so outrageous about taking your baby to a concert and burying the placenta in an orchard.

OCR: Does that kind of sensationalism deter you from doing interviews?

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MM: No, I don't mind giving interviews; I just don't read them.

OCR: The media has always seemed fascinated by your offbeat, bongo-playing, free spirit persona, but isn't it getting more difficult to maintain that lifestyle with a family and a production company that has six people depending on you for their livelihood?

MM: It does to a degree. I've worked harder in the last two years getting this film produced than I've ever worked before. It's not like being an actor, where I show up, hit my mark and I'm done in three or four months. That's easy.

OCR: You could have avoided all the hard work by not starting a production company.

MM: I had to do it. With acting, you work intensely for three months and then you have nothing to do. It's all Saturdays, and you have to find something else to do. You need something else to wake up and feel excited about building.

OCR: Any stress with your new workload?

MM: There is no stress in producing because there is a sense of accomplishment. You have made something better by the end of the day than it was when you started the day. The stress comes from other people making decisions on your behalf, or other people being unable to do what they say they can do. That's not the movie business; that's all business. I sleep well knowing that things are going well; I lose sleep in the not knowing. That's stressful. Having a kid is the opposite of stressful. It makes you laugh at things that aren't as important.

OCR: Climb aboard the responsibility train.

MM: I'm a free spirit, man, but I have responsibilities. I've always had responsibilities. When I used to travel around in my Airstream, I always had a Blackberry with me. That's the only way I could do it. I was having fun, but I was connected to the world.

OCR: I still think you're more mature and responsible than you were before.

MM: I don't know, man. I've got my girl. I've got my son. But I'm staying young. I'm doing the things I want to do. I just have to schedule my pleasure time now.

OCR: Welcome to the real world.

MM: Can I take off for three weeks and not tell anyone where I am? No, I don't think so. It would be too stressful. I've got a family and a business.

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OCR: But you're rich.

MM: My family wasn't rich growing up. They had a strong work ethic, and I have a strong work ethic. I enjoy working. I enjoy selling. There's nothing I enjoy more than selling movies.

OCR: That's a very mature attitude.

MM: Then I guess I am growing up.

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Barry Koltnow: bkoltnow@ocregister.com

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© 2008, The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.).