Matthew McConaughey has built a career out of unlikely second acts, moving from rom-com heartthrob to Oscar winner, from True Detective philosopher Rust Cohle to one of Hollywood’s more unpredictable leading men. Now, in a career that has already taken him from Dallas Buyers Club to Interstellar and beyond, McConaughey is opening up about two very different encounters with power, faith and career-defining choices.

Sometimes, even an actor who once improvised his way through an Oscar-winning speech knows when a moment deserves preparation.

Matthew McConaughey brought his trademark blend of sincerity and sideways humor to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon while discussing his meeting with the Pope. Rather than treating the encounter like another celebrity photo opportunity, the actor admitted that he had actually thought about what he wanted to say. 

“I had some things I wanted to talk to him about...If you prepare things to talk to the Pope about, it’s kind of like preparing a speech for the Oscars.” he said. 

The joke works especially well because McConaughey knows exactly what it feels like to stand at the Oscars podium with the world watching. His 2014 Best Actor win for Dallas Buyers Club produced one of the ceremony’s most recognizable acceptance speeches, complete with his famous philosophy about having someone to chase as his hero. This time, however, there was no envelope to open and no golden statue waiting. 

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But the actor’s latest revelations also circle back to one of Hollywood’s biggest what-ifs.

Matthew McConaughey has now confirmed that he seriously considered playing Joel in HBO’s The Last of Us, the role that ultimately became synonymous with Pedro Pascal. Speaking on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, McConaughey explained that the decision was less about the quality of the project and more about where he was personally and professionally. 

“I wasn’t really acting at that point,” he said, explaining that he was focused more on writing and exploring leadership roles. 

His Emmy-nominated True Detective performance had already proved that he could turn prestige television into an actor’s playground, particularly when paired with Woody Harrelson in Nic Pizzolatto’s bleak Southern noir. Craig Mazin had previously confirmed that he spoke with McConaughey about Joel during the casting process, although those discussions were never especially advanced. Pedro Pascal eventually took the part and made Joel his own. McConaughey’s explanation also highlights the commitment required by television: a successful series can consume years of an actor’s life, rather than the finite production cycle of a film.

Both stories point toward an actor increasingly interested not simply in the next opportunity, but in whether that opportunity belongs to the particular chapter of life he is living. And perhaps that is the most McConaughey answer of all: sometimes the role is right, the project is great, and the timing is still wrong.

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What do you think says more about McConaughey: his preparation to meet the Pope or his decision to turn down The Last of Us? Share your take in the comments.