Matthew McConaughey has never looked like a man who would let a little danger ruin his day. Considering that he is the very same actor whose famously bold career choices, including turning down a reported $14.5 million romantic-comedy paycheck in 2010, helped spark the “McConaissance,” the revelation does not seem too exaggerated. It all led to some of his and Hollywood's most poignant works: Dallas Buyers Club, True Detective, and Interstellar. 

Now, The Rivals of Amziah King proves his daring streak extends to bees, as he holds roughly 10,000 real ones without CGI.

As the film buzzes back into conversation, McConaughey has further dwelled on the surprisingly real details behind that no-CGI bee stunt.

During his most recent Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon interview, the actor recounted his remarkably hands-on approach to The Rivals of Amziah King. The very scene where his character attracts thousands of bees. Apparently, even a career built on bold choices can still make room for a queen bee.

“This is no CGI,” was Matthew McConaughey’s answer when Jimmy Fallon assumed the astonishing bee sequence must have required an equally astonishing visual-effects budget. The actor explained that the shot took roughly 40 minutes to set up, with the queen bee held between two fingers as the hive gradually gathered around her. No digital trickery, just patience and a very heavy arm.

Matthew McConaughey then revealed the part that makes the scene considerably more impressive: he did not get stung once during the shot. He had to remain relaxed and avoid sudden movements while more than 10,000 bees gathered to protect their queen, eventually dropping away in waves. As the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon conversation showed, the stunt was less movie magic and more extremely calm bee diplomacy.

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Aside from recounting his meeting with Pope Leo XIV, McConaughey also revealed that while he did not get stung during the stunt, he did get stung before that.

Matthew McConaughey revealed later in the interview that he did eventually get stung, but the timing was almost comically inconvenient. A week before filming, a beekeeper tested his reaction and initially found no swelling, only for McConaughey’s vision to deteriorate during the drive home. The delayed reaction revealed a genuine bee allergy, turning his upcoming swarm scene into a rather reckless scheduling decision.

Hollywood has never been particularly sensible about bees, so McConaughey now joins Tony Todd and Bryan Cranston in the practical-stunt hall of fame. Todd collected 23 stings filming Candyman, while Cranston endured roughly 60,000 bees for Malcolm in the Middle. McConaughey, meanwhile, discovered his allergy just before filming his own bee-heavy finale, making the no-CGI stunt considerably more daring.

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Did you find Matthew McConaughey's bee stunt impressive? Let us know in the comments!