McConaughey Fled to Peru for 22 Days Early in Fame to Confront Inner Demons

Matthew McConaughey spent 22 days alone in Peru at the outset of his fame to battle personal demons.

On Tuesday's episode of the "No Magic Pill" podcast, the actor told host Blake Mycoskie he went by "Mateo" during the three-week solo trip. Fame left him thinking, "No strangers do I meet anymore…the world is a mirror. I was questioning… which part’s real and which part’s bulls---t." That prompted him to jet off in search of himself.

He packed journals, water, steak and tequila before heading to a spot in the middle of nowhere. "Went to a place that had no electricity in the middle of the desert where I was locked in with nothing but me and who I’ve been in my past or my diaries," McConaughey said.

"Where the demons on our back, man are, are dancing and having a good time at our expense, where the guilt can get really heavy."

The first 12 days proved wonky, he admitted. "And then the last 10 days were great. I was at the place long enough to go, I could live this."

"There's an initiation period when we go away with ourselves. Yes. Where the demons on our back, man are, are dancing and having a good time at our expense, where the guilt can get really heavy. The shame can get heavy," he added.

The "Interstellar" star said he did not enjoy his own company at first. "I do not enjoy my own company… at first. For me, it’s around day 12… that’s when the breakthrough comes."

McConaughey likened the trip to a psychedelic journey like ayahuasca. "We pull the parachute too early… If it gets hot, we can handle breaking a sweat," he told Mycoskie.

His career took off in the early 1990s with small roles. He drew major attention for playing easygoing David Wooderson in "Dazed and Confused" (1993). His relaxed charisma and the line "Alright, alright, alright" helped build his screen presence.

McConaughey hit widespread fame in 1996 starring in "A Time to Kill" as a passionate young lawyer, a role that displayed his dramatic skills and made him a Hollywood leading man.