8 Signs Colin Farrell Is The New Matthew McConaughey

For these leading men, arguably the biggest step in their transition was realizing they didn’t need to be the lead every time. They quickly discovered that secondary roles offered them the chance to grab the spotlight by doing something different.

For his part, Matthew McConaughey showed he could be both funny in Bernie and terrifying in Killer Joe. He made a mark with limited screen time in The Wolf Of Wall Street and reminded viewers that he was still a heartthrob in Magic Mike. By themselves, these supporting roles were all impressive but taken as a whole, it showcased an enormous range that McConaughey could never have displayed in his generic rom-com and action roles.

Likewise, it was only in stepping away from the spotlight that Colin Farrell got to show he could be more than a troubled cop. In recent years, on top of intensely dramatic roles in Saving Mr. Banks and Crazy Heart, he stole the show in Horrible Bosses as a coke-addled womanizer and was surprisingly intimidating in the under-seen Fright Night.

McConaughey’s string of supporting roles transitioned right into a series of accolades as a lead, something that could understandably be expected of Farrell, now that he’s reminded viewers of the actor he can be.