Out of all the charactersMatthew McConaugheyhas played over the years, few are as beloved as David Wooderson, his smooth operator from Richard Linklaters 1993 stoner classic, Dazed and Confused. Now, McConaugheys original audition tape for the role has surfaced, courtesy of Criterion Collection, further perpetuating the hazy, ageless legend of everyones favorite mustachioed burnout.
Donning a Headbangers Ball T-shirt because of course he is McConaughey breezes through what would become two of Woodersons classic scenes: When he asks Wiley Wiggins Mitch Kramer if hes got a jointon him, and later, his infamous rumination on high school girls.
McConaugheys blazed demeanor during his audition is a bit giddier than the wizened Wooderson he plays in the film, but its still clear why Linklater gave him the part. How could anyonesay no that smile? Especially when its saying, I keep getting older, but they stay the same age.
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In 2013, as Dazed and Confused was celebrating its 20th anniversary, Linklater said he was getting ready to start filming what he called a spiritual sequel to Dazed and Confused. The movie, Thats What Im Talking About, is reportedly set in the Eighties and centersaround a handful of college freshman who are also baseball players. Linklater spoke about the film in a recent interview with Creative Screenwriting, saying it also overlapped a bit with his lastfilm, Boyhood.
Its a party film, Linklater said. Its really about the beginning of school, not the end of the school year. I guess personally or autobiographically its kind of in that realm, but its also a continuation of Boyhood, believe it or not. I dont know if one film can be a sequel to two different movies, but it begins right where Boyhood ends with a guy showing up at college and meeting his new roommates and a girl. It overlaps with the end of Boyhood.