Matthew McConaughey Exiled Himself From Hollywood and Lived in Peru as Mateo for 22 Days Without Electricity When Fame Became Too Much

By Zack Sharf

Zack Sharf

Digital News Director

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Matthew McConaughey revealed on the “No Magic Pill” podcast (via People) that he once exiled himself from Hollywood and lived without electricity for 22 days in Peru when the pressures of early fame became too much for him to handle. He exclusively went by Mateo during this period as to further disassociate himself from his celebrity status.

“I needed to get my feet on the ground,” McConaughey said. “So I click out. Boom. Go to Peru. I needed to find it, to check the validation. I knew I had it, I just had to go prove it again. But I did question, now that I just got famous, I’ve got all this affiliation for this and that and the other. And I’m trying to decipher which part’s real, which part’s bullshit.”

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