Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson have been friends for more than 30 years, and they don’t always see eye to eye. That’s never been a problem.
In the Apple TV meta comedy series Brothers, the two play fictionalized versions of themselves who start to suspect they share more than a friendship. McConaughey and Harrelson spoke exclusively with BLKCinema.com about the bond at the center of the show, whether they buy the brothers theory and the one note McConaughey expects from his real mom.
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson on 30 years of friendship
McConaughey said the two have their disagreements, but their loyalty to each other never wavers.
“Woody and I love each other. We’ve been great friends for over 30 years,” McConaughey said. “We don’t always agree. We have different philosophies about how to go about doing the same things. We butt heads on that, but the fact that we love each other is never in question. We don’t hold grudges. I want him to win. He wants me to win. We both want each other to win. We both want ourselves to win.”
“We know there’s room for each of us to win,” he continued. “So no matter if we’re disagreeing or not getting along, we never have to question whether we’re rooting for the other one. He never questions if I’m rooting for him, and I never question if he’s rooting for me, even if we’re butting heads.”
Harrelson said that bond is what sets the show apart.
“I think that’s one of the cool things about the show. You rarely see a show that is so much about male friendship,” Harrelson said. “You’ve got a lot of female friendship shows, but you never really, well, I don’t know, maybe I’m not thinking of one. But I kind of love that. You see how much we love each other in the show, and of course we love each other no less off-screen.”
Are Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson really brothers?
The pair don’t agree on the question the show is built around.
“That’s part of the fun of the ride of the show. Whether you believe it or not, you’ll at least go, ‘Well, maybe,’” McConaughey said. “Now, Woody completely thinks it’s true that we’re brothers.”
“Oh, it’s true,” Harrelson said.
“I don’t,” McConaughey replied. “But that’s the setup the whole show is based on.”
“I can stack up all the reasons right now. I won’t go into it. He gets uncomfortable,” Harrelson said. “But I will say, in terms of us looking like each other, it’s undeniable. But I do wish I looked more like him now.”
When McConaughey noted that Harrelson likes his socks, Harrelson agreed that McConaughey’s socks “are always the best.” McConaughey then pointed out a piece of pink tape stuck to Harrelson’s own sock, which he said had been there the whole time.
What will Ma Mac think of ‘Brothers’?
McConaughey said his family would be seeing the series for the first time at its premiere, and Harrelson already had a prediction for how his mother, played by Holland Taylor in the series, would react.
“My family hasn’t seen it yet. They’re going to see it at the premiere tonight,” McConaughey said.
“And I can guarantee you, Ma Mac, his mom, is going to say, ‘I could have done that better,’” Harrelson said.
“I think my family will like it, but my mother is definitely going to say, even though Holland Taylor’s great in it, ‘Your only problem with that show is you didn’t cast me to play me,’” McConaughey said.
Harrelson, who called Taylor “the best,” suggested the two start a betting pool.
“We’ve got to put down bets. How long until she says that? It’s going to be two minutes, five minutes,” Harrelson said.
“‘I should have been me. I should have been number one on the call [sheet].’ She’s going to say that right out of the gate,” McConaughey added.
Where can I watch ‘Brothers’?
Brothers premiered with its first two episodes Sept. 23 on Apple TV, with new episodes every Wednesday through Nov. 4.
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