Meet the killer who may be Matthew McConaughey’s father

Matthew McConaughey recently revealed that perhaps the man he has called his father for 53 years may not be his biological relative. The actor claims that a conversation with his mother raised doubts about his true paternity and that, in fact, the father of his longtime friend Woody Harrelson, may also be his father.

The story began during a family trip to Greece a few years ago, in which Woody was along. The actors talked about their physical similarities and how even their respective families confuse who is who. “We were sitting around talking about how close we are and our families too. And my mom was there and she said, ‘Woody, I knew your dad.’ Everyone was aware of the ellipsis my mother left after ‘met’. It was a loaded acquaintance.”

Friends found evidence that points to a possible meeting between Matthew’s mother and Charles Harrelson, Woody’s father, in the US state of Texas, at a time when the matriarch was separated and Harrelson was free. That’s because he was a professional killer and twice went to prison — his last sentence was a life sentence for killing a federal judge.

His first arrest was in 1973 for the 1968 murder of a grain farmer. He was released from prison after serving a five-year sentence, but returned to prison in 1981 when he was found guilty of the death of John Wood, a Texas federal judge.

Reports say that during his time in prison, Harrelson confessed to being involved in the assassination of former US President John F. Kennedy in 1963. However, he later recanted and said he was under the influence of drugs when he made the statement.

Doubt hangs over both of them. Woody said he tries to convince Matthew to take a DNA test, but the actor says that, if the assumption is true, he has a lot to assimilate.

“It’s a little harder for me because he’s asking me to take a chance and say ‘wait a minute, are you trying to tell me that my father might not be my father after 53 years of believing that?’ I have a little more to risk,” said Matthew in an interview with Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast.