True Detective to Brothers: Woody Harrelson-Matthew McConaughey on friendship, chaos

Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey have shared screen space before, but their latest collaboration comes with a rather unusual twist. After playing very different characters in True Detective, the longtime friends reunite in Apple TV's Brothers, this time portraying fictionalised versions of themselves. And, as it turns out, playing yourself on screen isn’t quite as effortless as it sounds.The two actors, while speaking exclusively to India Today, reflected on having plenty of history, both on and off camera. But while their real-life friendship is built around years of camaraderie, humour and unpredictable adventures, translating that equation into a scripted comedy presented its own set of challenges. Reflecting on their previous collaboration in True Detective, Harrelson didn’t hesitate to point out how different the experience was.“There’s no similarity because he was playing Rustin Cohle and about nine out of 10 days on that shoot, I wanted to slap him. He was so annoying,” Harrelson said, referring to McConaughey’s tendency to remain in character throughout the day.“He just stays in character the whole damn day too. It’s not till the end of the day where you can actually have a conversation with him,” he added. The experience on Brothers, however, was considerably more relaxed. With McConaughey playing a version of himself, the two could lean into their natural chemistry rather than navigate the intensity of their earlier roles. “Since he’s playing Matthew McConaughey, and very well, I might add, it was fun. We had a great time. We were like unruly schoolchildren on that set, really laughing,” Harrelson said. McConaughey admitted that the process required a different kind of performance. What might seem hilarious in a real-life interaction does not necessarily translate into comedy on screen. “Certain things that I thought were going to be very funny when I saw them played back, I was like, huh, not as funny as I thought,” he added.The format also demanded a sharper comic rhythm. Unlike everyday conversations, where a joke can stretch across hours or even days, an episodic comedy requires its humour to land quickly.“In our life, we’re more of a long joke. He’s the long joke. I’ll start the opening of the joke in the morning and maybe the punchline comes later that night, or maybe it comes next week. But in this kind of episodic series, you have to get to the punchline quick,” McConaughey said.Harrelson, meanwhile, acknowledged that the experience gave him a newfound appreciation for sitcoms and the craft of comedy. “I really have come to admire sitcom as a medium. I think it’s much, much harder than even doing a play or doing a movie. There’s something much more challenging about it. It’s not an easy thing,” he said.Their easy back-and-forth also surfaced when they revisited their first meeting. “If you’re going to the Oscars or you’re going to a JP Morgan board meeting and you’re going with Woody, it’s best to bring your swimsuit,” McConaughey said.He went on to describe how a seemingly ordinary afternoon with Harrelson could take an unexpected turn, adding, “That could turn into something where you may end up that’s happening in Los Angeles at 1 pm. Don’t be surprised to end up in Canada by 4 pm. You don’t know where that car ride’s gonna go, where that day’s gonna go,” McConaughey said, calling his friend "Captain of No Context."This easy camaraderie between the two is what makes this collaboration particularly interesting. Even after years of friendship and working together, Harrelson and McConaughey are still finding new ways to surprise each other.All 8 episodes of Brothers are now streaming on Apple TV.- Ends