10 Actors Who Made Comebacks In INSANE Movies

By the 2010s, it truly seemed like Matthew McConaughey was firmly checked out of acting, starring in only the most base, undemanding, low-effort projects like Fool's Gold and Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past.

But starting in 2011, McConaughey made a conscious effort to ditch the lousy genre vehicles and commit his acting efforts to more quality work, as was lovingly dubbed "The McConaissance" by his fans.

McConaughey's run of expectation-defying performances in auteur-driven fare began with Killer Joe - a savage black comedy from the legendary William Friedkin (The Exorcist), which cast the actor against-type as the titular Joe, a cop who moonlights as a hitman.

To say that McConaughey plays a Hall of Famer piece of s**t is quite the understatement, the performance proving such an eye-opening corruption of his popular charming persona that critics couldn't help but festoon him with awards.

The years that followed can only be described as momentous, with McConaughey receiving wide acclaim for Bernie, Mud, Magic Mike, Dallas Buyers Club (for which he won a Best Actor Oscar), The Wolf of Wall Street, Interstellar, and TV series True Detective.

Though the McConaissance petered out by 2014, it was enormously successful in rehabilitating McConaughey's public image, which he continues to feel the benefit of today.