Matthew McConaughey explains why he didn't go into detail about his sexual abuse in his new book

Matthew McConaughey has spoken about why he chose not to go into detail about being sexually assaulted in his new memoir.

McConaughey wrote about being sexually abused as a teenager in his book Greenlights. He shared that he was “blackmailed” into having sex for the first time when he was 15. He also said he was “molested by a man when I was 18 while knocked unconscious in the back of a van.”

Appearing on Tamron Hall, he was asked why he only briefly referenced these incidents in the book.

He said:

Ultimately, there’s nothing that I feel is constructive about the details.

I feel like those details, unless I had a really good constructive way that I saw it that could be relatable to other people, I felt like those details could have just been grabbed and reported for voyeurism.

They could’ve been the thing that every single show was going to go ‘Read about the details of when Matthew was molested,’ or ‘Read about when he got blackmailed,’ and that’s the wrong headline,”

I write also in the book I’ve never felt like a victim.

Those two events happened to me at 15 and 18. If they would’ve happened to me younger, maybe I would’ve been more confused.

But when they happened to me, it was very clear to me, that they were wrong, that they were not ideal, that they were not how it’s supposed to be.

Continuing, he added:

So I think having that clarity means that it’s probably why it didn’t stick with me and confuse me later on or left me having a non-realistic view of the way the world is supposed to work.

The actor said that he went to the desert for 52 days, with no electricity, in order to write the memoir. He said he’s kept a diary for over 36 years, which helped with the writing process.

One of the most bizarre revelations in the book was McConaughey’s dad passed away “at climax” while having sex with his mother.

You can use this You can find more information and advice for people affected by rape and sexual abuse at Rape Crisis or you can call the National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247