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FIRST LOOK

First Look: Matthew McConaughey as Mud in Jeff Nichols' Film 'Mud'

by Alex Billington
November 18, 2011
Source: Empire

Anyone else think he looks a little too obvious for a character named Mud in a film titled Mud? That said, Jeff Nichols, who directed staff favorite Take Shelter this year as well, is a very talented filmmaker on the rise and I trust he knows what he's doing. Once set to star Chris Pine, the project is a drama centered on two teenage boys who encounter a fugitive (Mud, played by Matthew McConaughey) and pact to help him escape from an island in the Mississippi. Empire has a first look photo from set, as it's currently shooting, and it's a worth a quick glance. "Mud's a dreamer," McConaughey explains. "He's an aristocrat of the heart."

To give you a clearer idea of what this is about, here's how McConaughey described it to Empire: "I guess it's a fairytale about love, in terms of what this boy finds out about love through Mud. And you don't see that many scripts that are good, sorta Stand By Me, summer-of-love fairytales like that." Mud is an escaped convict who befriends a young boy named Ellis, played by The Tree of Life's Tye Sheridan, and encourages him to dodge bounty hunters and reconnected with his on-off girlfriend, played by Reese Witherspoon. Michael Shannon (seen in Jeff Nichols' last film Take Shelter) and Sam Shepard also co-star in this. Shooting is underway, and we expect to see this hit some festivals sometime next year. Stay tuned for more!