Matthew McConaughey recently revealed that he once walked away from Hollywood and spent 22 days living in Peru without electricity after fame became overwhelming. During the trip, the Oscar winner stopped using his real name and went only by “Mateo.”

“I needed to get my feet on the ground,” McConaughey said.

“So I click out. Boom. Go to Peru. I needed to find it, to check the validation. I knew I had it, I just had to go prove it again. But I did question, now that I just got famous, I’ve got all this affiliation for this and that and the other. And I’m trying to decipher which part’s real, which part’s bullshit,” he opened up on No Magic Pill podcast via People.

Matthew McConaughey said the first 12 days of the trip felt difficult and strange. But as time passed, he slowly adjusted to the simpler lifestyle and started feeling more connected to himself again.

The actor also explained that meeting people who only knew him as “Mateo” helped him rediscover his identity outside of fame. By the end of the trip, the emotional connections he formed reassured him that people valued him for who he was, not because he was a celebrity.

Years later, McConaughey distanced himself from Hollywood once again by moving his family to Texas. He made the decision after growing frustrated with constantly being offered romantic comedy roles despite wanting more serious projects.

That willingness to step away from comfort zones continues to shape the actor’s career even today.

Matthew McConaughey is expanding beyond Hollywood with ElevenLabs

ElevenLabs has become one of the fastest-growing AI audio companies in entertainment. The company focuses on advanced voice and text-to-speech technology used across media, content creation, and storytelling.

Matthew McConaughey joined ElevenLabs as an investor last year. He is also using the platform to translate his Lyrics of Livin’ newsletter into Spanish and has praised the company’s storytelling technology. ElevenLabs co-founder Mati Staniszewski has also teased more projects involving the actor in the future.

Matthew McConaughey’s involvement with ElevenLabs shows how he continues exploring creative opportunities outside traditional Hollywood projects while still staying connected to storytelling.

From disappearing into Peru as “Mateo” to reinventing his career in Texas, McConaughey has repeatedly shown he is willing to walk away from fame when needed and return on his own terms.

What do you think about Matthew McConaughey’s decision to leave Hollywood behind and live anonymously in Peru?

Written by

Karishma Dasgupta

Edited by

Aliza Siddiqui