Matthew McConaughey didn’t want to be just another big name in Guardians Vol. 2

Speaking with Playboy (via The Playlist), McConaughey explained that he liked the original Guardians Of The Galaxy, but the idea of capitalizing on his persona for the sequel didn’t appeal to him. He said he’d feel like “an amendment” to the series, and that it was like Marvel deciding that it simply wanted “a colorful part for another big-name actor.” Basically, though, the biggest factor was that he had another offer on the table that seemed more interesting: playing the villainous Man In Black in director Nikolaj Arcel’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower.

McConaughey says the Dark Tower script was “well-written” and that he liked the director’s take on it, but mostly he appreciated that he could take some ownership of the character and do his own thing instead of just being another famous person in Guardians. He also says he played the Man In Black like he was “the Devil having a good time, getting turned on by exposing human hypocrisies wherever he finds them.” That seems a bit more like his characterization in King’s The Stand than in the Dark Tower books, but it’s the same guy either way.

Also, “the Devil having a good time, getting turned on by exposing human hypocrisies wherever he finds them” kind of sounds like it could be a description of McConaughey himself, so we’re just thankful that he’s a more benevolent deity than that.