Reviewed by: Nathan Watson
Here’s what Matthew McConaughey said about Birmingham on recent podcast
Reading time: 3 minutes
Matthew McConaughey recently caught up with fellow actors Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson on the two men’s podcast, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” and he had some great things to say about the Magic City.
The podcast is “a chance to reconnect” for Danson and Harrelson, who were both actors on “Cheers” in the ’80s and ’90s, according to the show description.
Love for Birmingham
Danson, who is also known for his roles in “The Good Place” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” shared excerpts from his favorite poems from McConaughey’s 2025 book, “Poems & Prayers.”
One of those poems is about Birmingham:
“Red enough to work, blue enough to dream. Like Southern royalty without the queen.”
McConaughey said that he “fell in love” with Birmingham when he was filming a movie released last year, “The Rivals of Amziah King.” Filming took place in summer 2023, when the city was buzzing with excitement about his appearances.
Here are the stories from Bham Now back when filming was taking place:
- May 22, 2023: Casting for The Rivals of Amziah King starring Matthew McConaughey begins in Birmingham
- June 15, 2023: Jefferson County residents report McConaughey spottings in Bessemer, Mountain Brook, Pell City and at the Frothy Monkey in downtown Birmingham
- June 30, 2023: Additional Matthew McConaughey and crew sightings in Hoover and Winston County
- July 5, 2023: A Birmingham pastor invites Matthew McConaughey and community to see “The Rivals of Amziah King” with her church
The film premiered at the 2025 South by Southwest Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation.
“I found Birmingham during a film I did, ‘The Rivals of Amziah (King),’ and I did not know that that place existed in the state of Alabama, and it did. And we fell in love with it, and I met a lot of great people there. A lot of great music, Muscle Shoals right up north of there.”
Matthew McConaughey, Where Everybody Knows Your Name, Jan. 7, 2026
Harrelson, known his roles on “True Detective” and “Natural Born Killers” — and among younger audiences, in “The Hunger Games” trilogy — said he has never been to Birmingham, but shared what he does know about its history with civil rights.
“They had some trouble back in the day. I think that’s all people think about who haven’t been there…But now I guess it’s turned into quite a place! I’ve never been there myself.”
Woody Harrelson, Where Everybody Knows Your Name, Jan. 7, 2026
McConaughey assured Harrelson, however: “It’s on the way forward.”
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