Before everyone gets excited deep fake and anti-aging technology, Cary Fukunaga and the cast of “True Detective” had to rely on good old makeup and acting in a way that, you know, represents the passage of time. And no one has faced this challenge more than Matthew McConaughey, who has gone from a nihilistic young cop to a haunted, exhausted old detective with a burgeoning sense that there is more to life before our eyes.
It was the little things that really made the performance so compelling. McConaughey, a young Rust Cohle, avoids eye contact to portray his character’s blatant human hostility and inner struggle with the death of his young daughter. He shut himself off and disappeared into his own head. But as old Cole, he takes care to catch people’s eyes, as if he’s come to terms with who he is and is more direct and expressive as a result.
It seems that all of these choices for how Rust’s demeanor developed came from McConaughey. talk to gentlemen Before detailing his overall approach, Cary Fukunaga talked about how the actor brought out his character’s unique gait:
“[T]The psychology of where Cohle takes his attitudes and then how he physically embodies them is entirely his own. This is unwritten, Matthew McConaughey, who makes decisions about the way he smokes, the way he walks, the way he drives, the way he does everything. There are a lot of things he doesn’t look at. Everything develops at eye level, as if he could do everything without looking because his senses are so keen.”
Can we see a short Rust cameo? “True Detective” season 4? Let’s hope so.