Matthew McConaughey says America is 'going through puberty' on July 4th: 'This is just a reality'
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Matthew McConaugheyâs latest message for fans is a head-scratcher.
The Oscar-winning star, who may or may not be running for governor of Texas, posted a quirky video message on Sunday captioned "Happy 245th birthday America â letâs rock" to celebrate the Fourth of July.
"As we celebrate our independence today, as we celebrate our birth as a nation, the day that kick-started a revolution to gain our sovereignty, let's admit that this last yearâs trip around the sun was also another head-scratcher," the 51-year-old actor began. He gestured emphatically, wearing and speaking from behind a pair of brown-tinted, gold-framed aviator sunglasses against the backdrop of a fringe-trimmed American flag, his hair curling over his white collar.
He characterized the nationâs divisions as âgrowing painsâ and urged his followers to stay hopeful.
âWe're basically going through puberty in comparison to other countries' timelines, and we're going to go through growing pains," McConaughey opined. "This is not an excuse, to say, this is just a reality. And this is good because weâve got to keep learning, we got to keep maturing, we got to keep striving, we got to keep climbing, we got to keep building. And weâve got to make sure we maintain hope along the way, as we continue to evolve.
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âWhy? Because it's who we are. Why? Because the alternative sucks.â
USA TODAY has reached out to McConaughey's representative for further comment.
In the video, the actor described America as being âconstantly in motion ⊠trying to get wiser, trying to get braver, trying to dream more, trying to do more, trying to be more fair, take the right kind of responsibilities, to gain the right kind of freedomsâ and asked fans to consider, as they celebrated, âwhere we want to go from here on the way to being the best we can be.â
"Now what if that was a song, and each of us just said, 'I can't not sing that song'? ⊠Let's make that a song we can't not sing.
âHappy Birthday, just keep livin',â McConaughey closed the speech, pointing to the camera. âIâll see you there."
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The video has more than 1.45 million views on the actorâs verified Instagram and Twitter accounts.
After initially shrugging off reports of his political ambitions, the âDallas Buyers Clubâ star in March told the Austin American-Statesman, part of the USA TODAY Network, that he would "be a foolâ not to consider running for governor.
"But I honestly have to ask myself, 'How can I be most useful?' And maybe thatâs as a free agent," McConaughey said, describing himself as "aggressively centric." "I would say, as far as running, Iâm not until I am. So my decision hasnât changed because Iâm still not."
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is up for reelection in 2022 for a third term. A new poll of 1,090 registered voters released Sunday by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler shows Abbott holds a slim lead over McConaughey: 39% support Abbott, while 38% would back McConaughey.
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