Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are maybe taking the press campaign for their upcoming Apple TV show Brother From Another Mother a little too far. According to a conversation on a recent episode of Kelly Ripa‘s podcast, there’s a small chance that McConaughey and Harrelson have the same father. And in a twist that’s more dramatic than their thriller series True Detective, the father in question was a convicted hitman.
McConaughey and Harrelson are close in real life, with their children referring to Uncle Woody and Uncle Matthew. They are also both from Texas, and starred in several early comedy movies together. McConaughey explained how the question of his parentage came up; “In Greece a few years ago, we’re sitting around talking about how close we are and our families, And my mom is there, and she says, ‘Woody, I knew your dad.’ Everyone was aware of the ellipses that my mom left after “knew.” It was a loaded K-N-E-W.”
“We went on to unpack what this ‘knew’ meant and did some math and found out that [Harrelson’s] dad was on furlough at the same time that my mom and dad were in their second divorce. Then there’s possible receipts and places out in West Texas where there might have been a gathering, or a meeting, or a ‘knew’ moment.”
McConaughey admits that he’s been reluctant to take a DNA test to confirm whether or not Harrelson is in fact his brother; “Look, it’s a little easier for Woody to say, ‘Come on, let’s do [DNA tests],’ because what’s the skin in it for him?. It’s a little harder for me because he’s asking me to take a chance to go, ‘Wait a minute, you’re trying to tell me my dad may not be my dad after 53 years of believing that?’ I got a little more skin in the game.”
Harrelson’s father died in prison in 2007, where he was serving a life sentence for the assassination of a federal judge in 1979. Charles Harrelson had been hired to carry out the contract killing by a Texas drug lord who was awaiting trial. We’re sorry, but this sounds like Breaking Bad and Barry all wrapped up into one.
Of course, McConaughey’s anecdote about his mother and Harrelson’s father could just be clever marketing for Brother From Another Mother. The series will follow the two stars playing fictionalised versions of themselves, as they bring their families together under one roof on a Texas ranch.
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