McConaughey: I don't take bulls**t

Matthew McConaughey learnt not to take "bulls**t" during his time in Australia.

The 44-year-old star won this year's best actor Oscar for his role in Dallas Buyers Club, after deciding to branch out from the romantic comedies he was synonymous with.

He's always had a sense of adventure both career-wise and in his personal life, which is one of the reasons why he spent time Down Under when he was younger.

"I worked as a barrister's assistant. I loved the country and its desert and everything. I also learned a lot from Australians in that they don't take any bulls**t from anyone and I learnt some humility from that," he told British magazine Hello!

The job he was doing might seem surprising, but it was actually perfect for a younger Matthew. That's because he spent time training to be an attorney, before realising that wasn't for him.

"I'd been studying to become a defence lawyer and I just woke up one morning and said, 'You know what' I don't want to go to school for something and then get out when I'm 28 because that's not what I want to do with my life. No way, man. I got some things I'd like to try and do," he recalled.

Many actors would be too scared to turn their backs on the kind of work which had made their name, but Matthew knew he would regret it if he never tried to win more serious roles. As well as Dallas Buyers Club he appeared in award-winning TV show True Detective and is enjoying the way his career is going.

"There's a spirit that guides me and I want to do everything in my power to be a good man, a good husband and a good father," he explained.