matthew mcconaughey-joel schumacher

Credits: Youtube/ ScreenSlam

SUMMARY

  • In A Time to Kill, Matthew McConaughey's Jake had to deliver a closing statement so powerful that could make or break the film.
  • During the filming of the scene, McConaughey got in the zone and communicated the same to director Joel Schumacher just through a glance.
  • Schumacher understood that he was locked in and immediately changed the shots to go along with McConaughey's delivery.

Matthew McConaughey got his big break as a leading drama actor, thanks to his role as attorney Jake Brigance in A Time to Kill. It was Joel Schumacher’s second film adaptation of a John Grisham novel. Interestingly, the studio initially wanted a recognizable name in the role of the young lawyer. The director was among the few who believed McConaughey could pull off a leading role.

Matthew McConaughey in a still from A Time to KillMatthew McConaughey in a still from A Time to Kill | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

One particular story the Interstellar actor shared from the set about filming the most important scene suggests that he and Schumacher were destined to be collaborators for this project. McConaughey’s closing statement had the power to make or break the film, but it was a supernatural connection between the director and actor that helped nail the scene.

Matthew McConaughey recalls the telepathic communication with A Time to Kill director

Matthew McConaughey's Jake makes his case in A Time to KillMatthew McConaughey in A Time to Kill | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

In A Time to Kill, Matthew McConaughey‘s Jake takes on the case of a father who killed his daughter’s r*pists. Being an underdog attorney, he goes against the powerful district attorney Rufus Buckley, played by Kevin Spacey. Appearing on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast in 2021, McConaughey shared some BTS look into the one scene where Jake gets the upper hand over Rufus in court.

In what is considered to be one of his best acting performances, McConaughey delivers a powerful closing statement for the jury. It perfectly aligns with the racial themes of the film, where Jake describes the r*pe of Hailey, a Black girl, in harrowing detail and then asks the jury to imagine her as White. It was a crucial scene that helped the jury to see beyond their biases.

McConaughey shared that he and Joel Schumacher had kind of a telepathic communication during the filming. During this particular scene, he was ready to deliver his final bit in a close-up shot and just glanced at the director. Schumacher, who was setting up wide shots to allow the actor to warm his way up into the scene, immediately changed his mind. McConaughey shared:

I remember Joel Schumacher going, ‘I’m going to shoot the jury first, we’ll do the wide shots, you can warm your way up into it.’ I wasn’t even looking at him, I was gazing off, I was already in my zone. He was saying that and I was not agreeing with him. I just kind of glanced out of my eye and he goes, without missing a beat, ‘And we’re going to shoot the wide — No, I take that back. We’re shooting Jake Brigance’s closeup first, everyone get ready.’

McConaughey shared that from his single glance, Schumacher could tell that he was ready for the shot. It was a surprising connection, given McConaughey and Schumacher were working together for the first time. He shared:

He could tell I was locked in. I let him know without saying ‘I was locked in’ [that] I was locked in. He said we’re not going to shoot everything first and let you warm up. We’re going to cover you right now first because you’re ready.

McConaughey was initially called in to audition for the role of the villain Freddie Lee Cobb in the film. McConaughey took his chance and asked Schumacher if he could play the lead role of Jake. Schumacher shared that it would never happen as the studio wouldn’t cast a newbie in the role. However, the director liked McConaughey and decided to take the chance with him.

Matthew McConaughey knew that he had to nail the closing statement scene

Kasper2006, Wikimedia CommonsDirector Joel Schumacher at Taormina Film Fest 2003 | Credits: Kasper2006, Wikimedia Commons

Matthew McConaughey impressed everyone with his screen test, which was held in secret since Joel Schumacher didn’t want a bad mark on the actor if he didn’t get the role (via Variety). Throughout the film, McConaughey tried his best to uphold the trust that the director and the studio had in him.

When he read Akiva Goldsman’s script for the final summation scene, he knew that it was a scene that he should absolutely nail. He shared with Marc Maron that none of his other performances in the film mattered until he got this one right. He shared:

This summation is the thing that has to work. If this doesn’t work, doesn’t matter how good you do in the rest of the movie. The movie doesn’t work and your performance won’t work unless you nail this.

A Time to Kill was a commercial success as it earned $152 million at the worldwide box office (via The Numbers). McConaughey’s transition from his comedy role in Dazed and Confused to the more serious role of Jake surprised everyone. He was even recognized for Best Breakthrough Performance at the MTV Awards for the film.

A Time to Kill is now available for streaming on PlutoTV.

A Time to KillJoel SchumacherMatthew McConaughey

Written by Hashim Asraff

Articles Published: 2154

Hashim, Entertainment Writer. With over 2000 published articles on FandomWire, he covers a wide range of topics from celebrity life to comic book movies. He holds a Masters degree in Sociology and his expertise proves invaluable in handling sensitive news. His passion for crime investigation thrillers has turned him into a detective, exploring the darkest corners of the internet during his research.