Mandatory Reads: Matthew McConaughey Gives the ‘Greenlights,’ A Memoir Written in 52 Days

Matthew McConaughey has written a memoir – and he wrote it in the most McConaughey way possible. The Academy Award-winning actor went to the desert, alone, for 52 days.

“I’ve been keeping a diary for 36 years,” he told reporters as part of a junket for Lincoln’s collaboration with the Calm app ahead of #NationalRelaxationDay on Aug. 15. “A couple of years ago, my wife gave me a kick in the backside to say: ‘You’ve been talking about sitting down with those for 36 years and seeing what it is for a while. Now’s the time. Get out of here.’ ”

So he did. Wherever he stayed, it didn’t have electricity (which seems like it would make writing a book difficult, but maybe he did it by a roaring fire, caveman-style?).

During his deep dive in the dark, McConaughey said he noticed a recurring theme: lights. As in: traffic light colors. He described devastating times in his life – like his dad’s death – as “red lights,” challenging times as “yellow lights,” and ah-ha moments or enlightened periods as “green lights.”

It’s a very McConaughey metaphor. The good news is that the father of three believes your red lights can become green lights with patience and perspective. (Which seems like a very dad thing to say.)

“We’re in the middle of a big yellow light, and some people are in the middle of red lights right now,” he said. “I foresee a day where if we handle ourselves well now, that we can look back on this year and say this was one of our most hard-fought but finest hours. This was the beginning of a change individually, worldwide. This time could even be a green light.”

The memoir, unsurprisingly titled Greenlights, drops on Oct. 20. We’d bet anything that sales will be robust enough for McConaughey to keep the lights on.

Cover Photo: @officiallymcconaughey (Instagram)

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