--- description: While an ugly-duckling situation might be more comforting to the rest of us mere mortals, McConaughey was a standout, even in high school. title: VIDEO: Matthew McConaughey a Dork in High School? Not Even Close image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt60bf0f489343c599/6986837b3bc99921961a21c6/oscar-winner-best-actor-matthew-mcconaughey.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [celebrities](/tag/celebrities/) ## celebrities Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # VIDEO: Matthew McConaughey a Dork in High School? Not Even Close by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 10, 2014 4:39 PM CUT  Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers ClubPeter Hapak for TIME by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 10, 2014 4:39 PM CUT It sounds like Matthew McConaughey, named the [sexiest man alive](http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1113899%5F1129980,00.html "undefined") by _People_ in 2005, has always been good-looking. While an ugly-duckling situation might have made for a more comforting story to the rest of us mere mortals, the truth is, McConaughey was already turning heads, even in high school. “He was always so good looking and he was always a standout,” former high school classmate Adrian Harris Forman [told](http://www.peoplestylewatch.com/people/stylewatch/package/article/0,,20768377%5F20794319,00.html "undefined") _People_. McConaughey played golf, charmed the ladies at Cotillion, and was voted “Most Handsome” — so it’s no wonder McConaughey sees his [future self](http://time.com/11251/oscars-2014-matthew-mcconaugheys-confounding-acceptance-speech/ "undefined") as his own hero. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/18131/video-matthew-mcconaughey-a-dork-in-high-school-not-even-close/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/18131/video-matthew-mcconaughey-a-dork-in-high-school-not-even-close/"},"headline":"VIDEO: Matthew McConaughey a Dork in High School? Not Even Close","datePublished":"2014-03-10T16:39:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:40:38.362Z","description":"Here's what McConaughey was really like back in high school","url":"https://time.com/18131/video-matthew-mcconaughey-a-dork-in-high-school-not-even-close/","keywords":["celebrities","People Premium","High School","Oscars","Matthew McConaughey"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt60bf0f489343c599/6986837b3bc99921961a21c6/oscar-winner-best-actor-matthew-mcconaughey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Video","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-video/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt60bf0f489343c599/6986837b3bc99921961a21c6/oscar-winner-best-actor-matthew-mcconaughey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Matthew McConaughey wins Best Actor for Dallas Buyers Club","caption":"Matthew McConaughey wins Best Actor for Dallas Buyers Club","creditText":"Peter Hapak for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/celebrities/","name":"celebrities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/18131/video-matthew-mcconaughey-a-dork-in-high-school-not-even-close/","name":"VIDEO: Matthew McConaughey a Dork in High School? Not Even Close"}}]}] ```