Before Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, started filming, their PR team released that a “big name” would take the role of Star-Lord’s father. Matthew McConaughey’s name surfaced as the top choice to take on the part. McConaughey had passed on the role, and it eventually went to Kurt Russell.
If you were wondering why McConaughey was so reluctant to sign on? McConaughey explains during an interview with Playboy, that it came down to a choice between doing Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 or the Stephen King adaptation The Dark Tower and why Dark Tower was the more appealing choice.
“I like Guardians of the Galaxy, but what I saw was ‘It’s successful, and now we’ve got room to make a colorful part for another big-name actor.’ I’d feel like an amendment. The Dark Tower script was well written, I like the director [Nikolaj Arcel] and his take on it, and I can be the creator, the author of the Man in Black—a.k.a. the Devil—in my version of this Stephen King novel. We’ve done the first one. It’s a fantastic thriller that takes place in another realm, an alternate universe, but it’s very much grounded. For instance, the gunslinger’s weapon isn’t a lightsaber or something; it’s a pistol. I enjoyed approaching my character as if I were the Devil having a good time, getting turned on by exposing human hypocrisies wherever he finds them.”
