Matthew McConaughey doesn’t rule out that his decades-long friendship with Woody Harrelson may be a family affair after all.
The actor marked his Health her co-star’s 65th birthday on Thursday with an Instagram post captioned: “From another mother? Happy birthday bro,” alongside a throwback photo of the couple hugging.
The timing is not a coincidence.
McConaughey and Harrelson star in a new AppleTV+ comedy called siblingsplaying fictional versions of themselves whose lifelong bond is broken when they stumble upon a long-buried secret that suggests they might actually be biological siblings.
The eight-episode series premieres September 23.
According VarietyThe real-life speculation began years ago when McConaughey’s mother told Harrelson she had met his father, hinting at a past connection in West Texas.
McConaughey was born in Uvalde, Harrelson in Midland, cities approximately 279 miles apart.
The couple reportedly discovered that Harrelson’s father may have been on leave at the time McConaughey’s parents were going through their second divorce.
Harrelson’s father, Charles Voyde Harrelson, was a convicted hitman serving a life sentence for the 1979 murder of a judge; Harrelson had little relationship with him as a child after he abandoned the family, although he later reconnected and visited him in prison until his death in 2007.
Neither actor has taken a DNA test to confirm any biological link, and Harrelson has reportedly been hesitant to delve deeper, fearful of altering his understanding of the father who actually raised him.
That real-world uncertainty became the inspiration for siblingsthat the couple is also executive producers.
By The Hollywood ReporterAccording to the synopsis, the series begins when Woody’s daughter’s wedding falls apart and he takes his family to stay at Matthew’s ranch in Austin for what should be a healing getaway, until Matthew’s mother, Ma Mac (played by Holland Taylor), accidentally reveals the long-buried secret.
While Woody attempts to uncover the truth, Matthew simultaneously struggles with a very different identity crisis: a possible run for governor of Texas.
The series also stars Natalie Martinez, Brittany Ishibashi, Nolan Almeida, Ella Grace Helton, Noah Carganilla, Highdee Kuan and Oona Yaffe.
The two stars’ families have long been treated as extended relatives, regardless of DNA results.
Harrelson has been married to Laura Louie since 2008, with whom he shares three daughters, while McConaughey has been married to Camila Alves since 2012 and has three children of his own.
Talking about Kelly Ripa Let’s talk off camera On the 2023 podcast, McConaughey summed up how confusing families have become, joking, “My kids call him Uncle Woody, his kids call me Uncle Matthew.”
He added that relatives on both sides often mix up photographs of the two men, mistaking one for the other.
