Matthew McConaughey says his “Dallas Buyers Club” character was homophobic “bastard” who evolved

Dallas Buyers Club opens in limited release tomorrow and I have already sung its praises in a previous post - even predicting an Oscar for Matthew McConaughey.

The actor has successfully transitioned from romantic comedies like Ready to Launch and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days to edgier independent films like Dallas Buyers Club.

Based on a true story, he plays a promiscuous straight man – a bigoted and homophobic electrician – who gets infected with AIDS and initially given 30 days to live by a doctor. But he instead looks for alternative treatments and extends his life by more than seven years.

He begins a thriving business selling the treatments to other AIDS sufferers.

McConaughey tells The Wrap: “It’s an amazing story, and it was original. It was from a heterosexual’s point of view, and he never raises the flag and says, “Everyone follow me!”

“Early on, we said, “Just show who this guy was.” He’s a bastard, son of a bitch, homophobe, bigot with a seventh-grade education, a two-bit electrician cowboy who gets the HIV and becomes a scientist. Stay with that. Stick with him wanting to make money. Stick with him being the businessman, and the crusader will emerge. Stick with him being the bastard with crazy conspiracy theories and blasphemous sadistic humor, and the humanity will emerge.”