10 Actors Who Brilliantly Reinvented Themselves

The McConaissance. No term more amazing has ever come out of Hollywood. With his role in Dazed and Confused (1993), Matthew McConaughey burst onto the acting scene with a role which is as hilarious as it is iconic. Following the film's success, the actor went on to star in dramas like Lone Star, A Time To Kill (both 1996) and Amistad (1997), before the 00s came along and he found his niche: The rom-com.

Between 2003 and 2009, McConaughey starred in five major romantic-comedies, including How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days and Fool's Gold, making him one the genre's biggest stars. He was charming, dependable, funny and the best part of every one of those films, and it looked as though he would continue to be the funny, immature, lovable guy for the rest of his career.

But in 2011 he starred in Killer Joe as a vicious killer-for-hire, and began his journey into one of Hollywood's most successful dramatic actors. He followed it with Mud (2012), and then blew everyone away with his Oscar-winning turn in Dallas Buyer's Club (2013). And he hasn't looked back since.

In 2014, he starred in the dark crime drama True Detective; he turned up in The Wolf of Wall Street; and in late 2014 he starred in Interstellar. From his humble beginnings as a dependable romantic lead, McConaughey has since become the best actor Hollywood has to offer, and it's been a joy to see.