Matthew McConaughey’s Latest Movie Character was Inspired by the Bible

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Jun 24, 2016

Matthew McConaughey’s Latest Movie Character was Inspired by the Bible

Actor Matthew McConaughey said in an interview that his most recent movie character was inspired by the Bible.

According to RelevantMagazine.com, McConaughey discussed his character Newton Knight in the movie Free State of Jonas with The Daily Beast.

The film is about a man who leads a rebellion against the Confederate south because he believes it is operating on unjust principles.

In the interview discussing his lead character, McConaughey stated:

“Knight had a moral code rooted in the Bible and the Declaration of Independence: love thy neighbor as thyself, and all men are created equal. So he had a very radical relationship with his own independence, and interdependence—which is very American. Extremely American …”

“All of this, the abolition of slavery in the Civil War at this time, they were almost all led by religious movements—Christian movements—that were trumping the ideals that everyone else had, McConaughey continued. “They went further into it and said, ‘No, this is not right—because of the Bible.’”

McConaughey also commented on religion today. He noted that the word “religion” comes from Latin roots meaning “to bind together again.”    

“It means exactly the opposite of what and how we are often practicing it these days!” he said.

Free State of Jonas was released in theaters today, June 24.

Watch the trailer for the film below.

Photo courtesy: youtube.com

Publication date: June 24,  2016



Matthew McConaughey’s Latest Movie Character was Inspired by the Bible