Matthew McConaughey’s Early Role: Trisha Yearwood’s 1992 “Walkaway Joe” Video

Alright, alright, alright. Back in 1992, an unknown Matthew McConaughey took a significant step in his nascent acting career by starring in Trisha Yearwood’s “Walkaway Joe” (ft. Don Henley) music video. At just 23 years old, McConaughey was beginning his journey into the world of acting when he was cast for the video. Just a year later, he delivered his iconic line in *Dazed and Confused*, which catapulted him to fame. Since then, he has starred in numerous timeless rom-coms, won an Oscar, and may even be in the running to become the Governor of Texas someday.

On Justin Moore’s podcast, McConaughey reminisced about how he landed the gig while he was still a film student. “I was down there at school at the University of Texas, and I went and got me an agent… but I was looking for work in front of the camera, so I always wore a pager. And that pager would go off and say, ‘Hey, can you be in San Antonio in an hour and a half for a Dwight Yoakam video,’ or whatever… and I’d hop up and go. I didn’t get many of them, but that day it was, ‘would you come down and audition for this Trisha Yearwood video?’ And it was basically a modeling job. I think I was wearing a t-shirt like this, walking around… So we went and shot it there in Central Texas, it was one of my first gigs.”

The rest, as they say, is history. McConaughey went on to star in various other music videos and even directed one for Jamey Johnson. However, it was his roles in films that really established his career. We’re talking about classics like *Dazed and Confused* and *Dallas Buyers Club*, and even some fan-favorite rom-coms like *Failure to Launch* and *How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days*. But his journey began with that early appearance in “Walkaway Joe”.

Back in 2012, McConaughey took part in a special event titled *We Walk the Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash*. The concert featured performances by notable artists like Ronnie Dunn, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson, and more. McConaughey served as the host of the event, and he even participated in the musical performances by singing Johnny Cash’s “The Man Comes Around”.

The track, “The Man Comes Around,” is the title song from Johnny Cash’s 2002 album *American IV: The Man Comes Around*. It’s a biblically inspired end-times track and is more of a spoken-word piece, which suited McConaughey’s style. His performance didn’t make it onto the recorded album but was included in the DVD bonus features.

Source: Particlenews, Justin Moore Podcast