At a University of Texas at Austin town hall taped for Variety and CNN on Feb. 21, 2026, Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey reunited to reflect on their first collaboration on Christopher Nolan’s 2014 film Interstellar, Chalamet’s new turn in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme and a memorable on-set prank. The 90-minute conversation — staged at UT’s Moody College of Communication and airing on CNN at 7 p.m. ET — mixed laughter and anecdote with serious talk about craft, career choices and awards campaigning. Chalamet, 30, described his current drive as restless and hungry; McConaughey, 56, returned warm reminiscences and a short poem praising Chalamet’s risk-taking. A surprising bathroom episode from Chalamet’s Interstellar trailer became one of the evening’s lighter moments, underscoring how their rapport evolved from mentor-and-teen to collaborators and peers.
Key Takeaways
- Event details: The town hall was taped at UT Austin’s Moody College and scheduled to air on Feb. 21, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET on CNN and later on Variety’s YouTube channel.
- Early connection: Chalamet was 17 during Interstellar (2014) and appeared in roughly the film’s first 37 minutes as the teenage son of McConaughey’s character.
- Mentorship and influence: Chalamet credited McConaughey and director Christopher Nolan with inspiring him to take acting seriously after high school.
- On-set prank: Chalamet recounted finding human feces in his trailer on his last day of Interstellar, which Nolan attributed to McConaughey as a Texas “souvenir.”
- Marty Supreme context: Chalamet discussed his 2025 Safdie film Marty Supreme as a role that channels reckless ambition and a willingness to embrace creative damage for awards-season momentum.
- Oscar conversation: McConaughey, an Oscar winner for Dallas Buyers Club (2014), expressed admiration for Chalamet’s campaign energy as a “creative extension” of performance work.
- Process notes: Both actors emphasized rigorous preparation—Nolan’s rule-driven approach and McConaughey’s practical lessons about grounding performance in small, physical details.
Background
Timothée Chalamet’s screen career began in his late teens; Interstellar (2014) was only his second film, and he filmed roughly 10 days of production for the role that introduced him to McConaughey and Nolan. At 17, Chalamet found the set’s discipline and Nolan’s technical seriousness transformative, a moment he says helped push him toward professional acting rather than college. McConaughey by then had already won Best Actor for Dallas Buyers Club (2014) and was known for intense preparation and an easy warmth toward younger colleagues.
Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme (2025) marks a tonal pivot for Chalamet — a frenetic, morally complicated character whose ambition and abandon echo the performer’s appetite for risk. Variety and CNN partnered for a first-of-its-kind town hall at UT Austin, where McConaughey teaches and serves as an alum, mixing campus Q&A with industry-focused discussion. The format showcased both careers at different arcs: McConaughey’s established, Oscar-winning trajectory and Chalamet’s rapid rise and ongoing awards push.
Main Event
The conversation alternated between candid, technical reflections and comic detours. Chalamet described the way Nolan treats the set as “sacred,” noting Nolan’s tendency to simplify complex effects choices—like using hands-on gimbals rather than large cranes—to preserve performance authenticity. McConaughey framed Nolan as a taskmaster who answers questions thoughtfully, often returning days later with considered explanations of his film’s internal rules.
Much of the audience interest centered on Interstellar memories: Chalamet said those brief days on set changed his life, giving him a trajectory that sustained him through slower periods. He also told the crowd the infamous trailer story: on his final day he discovered a large bowel movement in his trailer toilet, and Nolan cheekily pointed at McConaughey, who called it a Texas souvenir. The anecdote generated laughter and illustrated the kind of roguish camaraderie that has persisted between them.
Discussion also touched on the making and marketing of Marty Supreme. Chalamet described connecting deeply with the film’s hedonistic protagonist and his own willingness to take unusual career turns — from prestige drama to a daring, sometimes unlikable lead. McConaughey read a short poem about Chalamet’s artistic energy, praising his restless, “outlaw” sensibility and his appetite for creative danger.
Analysis & Implications
The reunion serves as a case study in how early mentorship and high-profile set experiences can shape an actor’s trajectory. Chalamet’s account of being 17 and inspired by Nolan and McConaughey matches a common industry pattern: formative early roles—especially on major studio or auteur projects—can lend credibility, craft lessons and professional networks that accelerate a young actor’s career. For studios and talent managers, the exchange illustrates the long-term value of carefully integrating novices into large-scale productions.
On awards strategy, Chalamet’s framing of campaigning as a “creative extension” of performance signals a shift away from purely promotional tactics toward narratives that treat awards-season visibility as part of an actor’s artistic presentation. That could influence how publicists and studios position films that straddle indie sensibilities and mainstream distribution. The blend of stunts, fashion work and nontraditional marketing that McConaughey notes points to a multi-platform approach increasingly common among A-list actors.
For viewers and film scholars, the conversation underscores persistent tensions between craft and commerce. Chalamet’s willingness to embrace flawed, abrasive leads like Marty—while continuing to do technically demanding projects such as Dune—suggests a career strategy of stylistic variety. Internationally, his collaborations with auteur directors keep him salient in both awards circuits and streaming/box-office economies, affecting casting dynamics in prestige projects.
| Item | Year / Detail |
|---|---|
| Interstellar | 2014 — Chalamet (age 17), appears in first ~37 minutes |
| Dallas Buyers Club (McConaughey) | 2014 — Best Actor winner; McConaughey lost ~47 lbs for the role |
| Marty Supreme (Chalamet) | 2025 — Safdie-directed, awards-season contender |
The table summarizes facts discussed onstage: dates, physical commitments and the scale of Chalamet’s Interstellar participation. Those anchor points help explain why the reunion resonated—Chalamet’s brief early exposure to a high-caliber set amplified later opportunities, and McConaughey’s Oscar history provides context for his comments on awards and preparation.
Reactions & Quotes
Before each quote we summarize the speaker and context to provide clarity.
“I remember you had a yoga mat, and you’d be working out and sleeping on set. It was all very strange to me. But it was super inspiring.”
Timothée Chalamet, recalling Interstellar set life
Chalamet used the memory to explain how small acts of professionalism signaled seriousness and motivated him to pursue acting over college at that moment.
“I see you right now as an artist with a perpetual artistic energy. Unrest. Ambition. Obsession.”
Matthew McConaughey, reading a short poem about Chalamet
McConaughey framed Chalamet’s temperament as intentionally disruptive in service of art, which the crowd received as praise rather than critique.
“This is sacred. I don’t want to treat this as anything other than sacred.”
Timothée Chalamet, on working with Christopher Nolan
Chalamet cited Nolan’s gravity on set as formative, crediting it with changing how he viewed his craft and career choices.
Unconfirmed
- The precise origin of the trailer prank beyond Chalamet’s onstage account: while Nolan and McConaughey’s banter was reported by Chalamet during the event, independent confirmation from production crew is not presented in the town hall.
- Reports that Marty Supreme’s marketing deliberately sought to disrupt release-window norms are described by Chalamet and McConaughey as part of strategy; studio-level marketing plans and metrics were not disclosed at the event.
Bottom Line
The UT town hall highlighted how early on-set encounters and mentorship can shape a young actor’s approach to career and craft. Chalamet’s recollections about Interstellar and his admiration for Nolan’s methodology underline a career built on curiosity, preparation and a willingness to take public creative risks. McConaughey’s responses—part praise, part practical counsel—underscore the reciprocity of mentorship in film.
As Chalamet pushes Marty Supreme into the awards conversation and continues collaborations with major auteurs, the exchange with McConaughey signals a broader industry pattern: actors now navigate prestige films, daring character work and multi-platform marketing simultaneously. For audiences and industry watchers, the reunion offered both a humanizing portrait of two actors at different stages and a window into how craft, publicity and career strategy intersect today.