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Matthew McConaughey: Too sexy for his own good? | 134858__foxx_matthew_l
LOST AND FOUND McConaughey with Marshall costar Fox
We Are Marshall: Frank Masi

About a year later, he stumbled upon his launching pad for a second shot at stardom, playing a tango-dancing, horseback-riding superstud in 2001's $60 million sleeper The Wedding Planner. He followed that success with a pair of hits: 2003's How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days ($106 million) and this year's arrested-development farce Failure to Launch ($89 million). ''There's a buoyancy to romantic comedies that keeps things very Saturday, and I'm good on Saturdays,'' says McConaughey, who deconstructs his appeal with a precision he clearly cultivates. ''I bring a maleness, whereas a lot of times the guy is emasculated. I make sure my man doesn't lose his balls. Do foolish things but don't play the fool.''

And don't forget to show some skin. It's a college drinking game waiting to happen: Fire up a McConaughey DVD and wait for the topless scene. Even today, as he relaxes on the beach, it's hard to imagine a reason compelling enough to get him to cover up. ''They gotta work to get me to put on shirts,'' he jokes of his directors. ''If a scene calls for it, I'm not the guy who'd be going, 'I sleep in a T-shirt.' No way!'' Filmmakers are happy to corroborate this. ''The dude is really good-looking and he's not ashamed of the work he's put into his appearance,'' says Wedding Planner director Adam Shankman, who shot a shirtless scene that didn't make it into the movie. ''I only cut it because it was a moment when he was supposed to be having a genuine conversation with the bride-to-be and it was a massive distraction. He came to the set in his robe, all oiled up, and he was glistening in the light.'' And Shankman cut it? ''All my gay friends hate me.''

McConaughey is also the rare movie star who doesn't seem to mind if the world knows he likes to get his drink on and do the things bachelors do. He's not going to freak out if the tabloids catch him pulling all-nighters on vacation in Costa Rica as long as the camera's in focus and he's not falling on his face. His bike-riding buddy and general partner-in-crime, Lance Armstrong, refers to him by a nickname that reflects McConaughey's easygoing attitude: ''the redneck Buddha.'' (That even applies to the actor's romantic life. ''When he was with Penélope [Cruz], he was completely fair,'' says Armstrong. ''I was impressed. He' s a big believer in Karma and doesn't want to go down based on his own behavior.'') Armstrong became the actor' s close friend and wingman for guys' weekends in Miami after they celebrated the University of Texas' Rose Bowl victory earlier this year. ''I've never seen him get upset about [the paparazzi]. Matthew steps out and says, 'Here I come!' We've had days where we go out for a bike ride and we bummed 32 bucks for lunch from 'em.''

NEXT PAGE: The rumors about McConaughey and Lance Armstrong


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