Matthew McConaughey thinks anti-maskers are not alright, not alright, not alright.
“I’m like going come on, man – I’m not believing that you’re really scared of this little cotton thing,” the Oscar-winning actor and potential Texas gubernatorial candidate said in a recent appearance on “The Carlos Watson Show.”
“And I’m not believing that you really feel that takes away your identity and your freedom. This is a short-term inconvenience for long-term freedom.”
McConaughey’s thoughts on what he called “the damn dispute” over mask-wearing comes as he continues to flirt with the possibility of running in the Lone Star State in 2022. He told host Watson the debate over masks had been politicized.
“There’s no data that says it’s not a good thing, no data that says it’s harmful,” McConaughey said in a clip from the interview posted on YouTube.
“Let’s all take one for the team here. And we all like to say we want to take one for the team, we like to say oh, the value of a human life is the epitome … no it’s not. We won’t admit it.”
If he were to run for governor, the 51-year-old star of “Dallas Buyers Club” would likely face incumbent Republican Greg Abbott, who is planning to seek re-election. It’s not clear if McConaughey would run as a Republican, Democrat or independent.
McConaughey outlined a philosophy that he wouldn’t use “Band-Aids” to solve problems.
“I’m interested in building something that can last and I’m measuring what category that is, and I don’t know if that’s politics,” he said.
Watson asked the actor if he had the constitution for political fights that might be “uncomfortable” or “ahead of the curve.”
“I trust my core beliefs enough and my values enough to know, to feel comfortable to listen to an opposing one,” McConaughey said.
The actor, who lives in Austin, has said for months that he’s considering and he has been gauging support among moderate Republicans and business leaders in Texas, Politico recently reported.
McConaughey hasn’t said much about what his political platform would be, but a recent poll of registered voters showed him ahead of Abbott.
The Dallas Morning News and University of Texas at Tyler found 45 percent of Texans would pick the actor, while 33 percent would vote for Abbott. But 56 percent of Republicans would vote for Abbott, while 30 percent would vote for McConaughey, the poll found.