Matthew McConaughey’s new book came to him “in a dream” like “a Bob Dylan ditty”

Matthew McConaughey has revealed the origins behind his debut children’s book, saying the idea came to him “in a dream”.

The actor’s first ever picture book is released today (September 12), which matches rhyming couplets starting with the titular words “Just Because” to illustrations by Renee Kurilla.

Speaking to USA Today about how the book came about, McConaughey said: “This book came to me in a dream. It was like a folk-song ditty. I woke up at 2:30 and just went and wrote it down. I thought it was a Bob Dylan ditty, which it kind of is.

“That’s how I think and dream, in song and rhythm.”

One example of a couplet from the book reads: “Just because I forgive you, doesn’t mean that I still trust. There’s what you do, there’s what I do, and yours is not my must.”

Explaining the concept further, McConaughey added: “It’s about the poetry of life, instead of having the pressure on us that feels like we’re told every day that we need to be absolute about every single thing. That’s not really life. Life’s much more poetic, odd, ironic. Once you admit all these contradictions, life becomes much more of a poem.”

This is the second book McConaughey has penned following his 2020 memoir Greenlights, which topped The New York Times non-fiction bestseller list.

Earlier this year, it was announced McConaughey would star in upcoming thriller The Rivals Of Amziah King from writer-director Andrew Patterson. He’s also set to lead an upcoming Yellowstone spin-off.

McConaughey recently provided the voice of Elvis Presley in Netflix’s adult animated sitcom Agent Elvis, alongside Kaitlin Olson and Johnny Knoxville.

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