Golden Globes 2014: Matthew McConaughey’s in a zone of his own

Matthew McConaughey arrived backstage at the Golden Globe Awards in a velvet green tuxedo to a flurry of applause from the assembled reporters -- really, the only actor of the evening to get that kind of rousing response Sunday.

En route to claiming the lead actor in a motion picture drama statuette for his performance in “Dallas Buyers Club,” the actor famously dropped some 40 pounds to convincingly portray a Texas good ol’ boy suffering from complications of AIDS.

A reporter wanted to know, could McConaughey “relax” now that he had won?

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“I was pretty relaxed shooting this,” he said. “Ron Woodruff wasn’t relaxed. But this material was so good. You can relax when you have a real good idea what you’re going to be doing for the next month. What’s not relaxing is not knowing what you’re going to do.

“It was hard work but relaxing. I got so much pleasure and gratitude, when it was over, I was full. To be here now is more than bonus time. It’s celebration. Somebody asked me earlier, ‘Do you want to win tonight?’ Absolutely.”

McConaughey used his valedictory time backstage to elaborate on the long-gestating film’s convoluted journey to the screen.

“This film took 20 years to get made,” the star said. “People declined to make it 86 times. We got together with a group of people who laid skin on the ground. That was one thing. A year later, it’s living. It’s very present. And I’m standing up here with a Golden Globe. That’s incredibly rewarding.”

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McConaughey also took time to reflect on his years as a journeyman movie himbo, contrasting his recent run of admired performances in acclaimed films against a time when he wasn’t so gainfully employed.

“I have been choosing roles that shook my floor, choosing directors that have vision and choosing [to portray] men with real identities,” the actor said. “With all these characters is an obsession. If I have that, I have my monologue as an actor. I can know the guy’s secret. I don’t know if that’s a zone, but I know it turns me on.

“And so the combination of those things and myself being more interested in life than ever before -- at 44, that’s a nice thing to say -- my life outside my career is extremely enriching. I’m letting my work feed my life. That reciprocity is where I’d like to remain.”

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FULL COVERAGE: Golden Globe Awards 2014