while on the set of "lonestar," luck strikes matthew again.receives a call from director joel shoemaker, who is casting for a film adaptation for "a time to kill." >> he was originally going to audition for a different part, but he ended up impressing the director to the degree he read him for the part of jake. >> jake, the lead role is based on grisham's personal experiences as a young lawyer. >> i am young and i am inexperienced. >> studio executives balk at putting a relative unknown in the lead, until -- >> he was personally approved by john grisham. this was a big deal, because this was not a small movie. this was a big, expensive hollywood movie and the leading role was played by a guy nobody had heard of. and he was just some guy from texas. >> the marketing campaign heats up on the eve of the film's release in the summer of 1996. >> remember this name and remember this face. he's the star of "a time to kill" and his name is matthew mcconaughey. and he will bring lots of people into your theaters. [ applause ] >> 18 years later, he woul

by the time "lonestar" comes out, he is becoming a marqucquc marquee name.gets a call for a film "a time to kill." he was going to audition for a different part, but he impressed joe schumaker to the part that he red for jake bergantz. >> the lead role, based on personal experiences as a lawyer. >> i'm young and i'm inexperienced. >> studio executives balk at putting a unknown in the lead. >> this was not a small movie. this was a big, expensive movie. and the leading role was played by a guy that nobody had heard of. and he was just some guy from texas. >> the marketing campaign heats up on the eve of the film's release in the summer of 1996. >> remember this name and remember this face. he is the star of "a time to kill" and his name is matthew mcconaughey, and he will bring lots of people into your theaters. >> 18 years later, he would describe "a time to kill" which is the film that made him instantaneously famous. >>over one weekend. >> yeah. >> the handsome leading man taking hollywood by storm and keeps the tabloids talking. so our business can be on