Matthew McConaughey is a well-known figure in romantic comedies, but his romance with the genre eventually ended.

In an episode of the “Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios” podcast released on Wednesday, McConaughey shared how his success in romantic comedies pushed him out of Hollywood. The Oscar winner currently resides in Texas with his wife Camila Alves and their three kids.

“The devil’s in the infinite yeses, not the nos,” McConaughey expressed to Kyrgios. “‘No’ is just as critical, if not more so. This is especially true when you achieve a certain level of success and have various opportunities.”

During the 2000s, McConaughey became synonymous with romantic comedies, starring in popular films like “The Wedding Planner” (2001), “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” (2003), “Failure to Launch” (2006), “Fool’s Gold” (2008), and “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” (2009).

“When I was thriving in the rom-com industry as the ‘rom-com guy,’ I enjoyed that phase. It was lucrative, and it was working for me,” McConaughey reminisced.

However, he found that his wish to take on diverse roles conflicted with how the industry viewed him at that time.

“I was so successful in that genre that anything outside of it – like dramas I wanted to try – was met with ‘No, no, no. Not McConaughey,'” he explained. “So, as I couldn’t pursue the roles I desired, I decided to step away from acting and moved to my ranch in Texas.”

Matthew McConaughey believes rejecting roles was a pivotal career move

While in Texas, McConaughey made an agreement with his wife Alves to only return to Hollywood if he was offered roles he found appealing.

Even with numerous high-paying offers, McConaughey held out for projects that excited him. In the early 2010s, he transitioned to more serious roles with films like “Bernie” (2011), “The Paperboy” (2012), and “Dallas Buyers Club” (2013), which won him an Academy Award for best actor.

“That decision was likely seen as a rebellious act in Hollywood because it clearly indicated, ‘He’s not playing around,'” McConaughey noted. “When someone is serious like that, it makes them intriguing. I believe that’s what led Hollywood to view me as a refreshing new concept.”

More recently, McConaughey has embraced his voice acting skills with roles in “Deadpool & Wolverine” and the Netflix short “Sing: Thriller.”

The actor is set to appear in the upcoming films “The Lost Bus” and “The Rivals of Amziah King.”