Matthew McConaughey took the stage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Tuesday as the audience was shown his historical look-alike.
The Oscar winner was there to promote his upcoming Civil War drama “Free State of Jones,” joined on stage by writer-director Gary Ross and co-star Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
During STX Entertainment’s presentation of the studio’s 2016 slate, the audience was shown a picture of the real man McConaughey plays in the film. And the resemblance was uncanny.
The Oscar winner plays Newton Knight, a soldier who defected from the Confederate Army during the Civil War and led an violent rebellion. Knight teamed up with poor farmers and Southern slaves in an attempt to create a free state.
McConaughey acknowledged that he does indeed look a lot like Knight also admitting he employed method acting skills to play the part. “The gun was loaded,” he joked. “It was on the page,” he said of Ross’ script. “His identity was made very clear to me. I didn’t have to do a lot of work,” added the Oscar winner of his character.
The crowd, comprised mostly of theater owners, exhibitors and studio executives, was also treated to an exclusive peek of an early scene in the film, showing the catalyst that spurred Knight into his controversial action: the death of a young, frightened Confederate soldier forced into the bloody American war.
“Free State of Jones” enters theaters June 24.