If You Want to Sell Pickles, Call Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey might be best known for True Detective, Dallas Buyers’ Club, his mid-aughts spree of crowd-pleasing rom-coms, and his iconic Texas drawl. But advertising has also been both additive to his personal brand and a uniquely challenging part of his career.

Inside his trailer on the set of Uber Eats’ ad shoot for Super Bowl 60, McConaughey reflected on what he enjoys about making ads, and what it takes for him to endorse a brand.

“Overall,” he said, settling into his seat, “does the ad reinforce some values I believe in and not siphon off of my credibility?”

Some are worth it simply because he believes in the cause or the product. “Sometimes I do it because it’s American-made and I like the product—Lincoln,” he explained. 

“I love a good PSA,” he added. “Whether it’s clean water, Covid, clean air—hell, I’d do a PSA for pickles. I love pickles.”

Even his own brand, Pantalones Tequila, fits into this values-based structure. “Me and my wife, it’s our favorite drink together,” he said. “I hold that valuable in my life.”

Protecting his personal brand extends not just to the projects he chooses, but the ones he doesn’t. McConaughey recently trademarked his voice and likeness to thwart unauthorized parties—such as generative AI platforms—from using his features without permission.

With Uber Eats, McConaughey was drawn to the idiosyncratic character and the opportunity to play a comedic role—something he hasn’t had the chance to do on the big screen in a while. He’s also energized by the challenge of short-form storytelling that 30- or 60-second ad spots demand.

“For these scenes to work, especially in the comedy, it’s rhythm and it’s timing and it’s punch,” he said, rhythmically snapping his fingers. “You hear it on set, ‘Can we do this faster?’”

Regardless of how funny an ad might be, he knows the bottom line has to be a good performance by everyone involved. “Can you make an ad that sells a product and is memorable? That’s your parlay honey hole.”

Check out ADWEEK’s full coverage of the 2026 Super Bowl.