While flying is a regular form of transportation for many, there are some folks out there who get super nervous on flights. Although given content like Castaway, Lost, and Showtime's Yellowjackets, can you blame them? Actor Matthew McConaughey has no doubt been on countless flights in his professional and personal lives, but he and his wife recently had a harrowing experience that they'll likely never forget. What's more, McConaughey says he didn’t have his seatbelt on when his plane dropped 4,000 feet during viral incident.
This incident occurred back in March, when McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves were traveling to Germany. Their plane suddenly, and without warning, dropped 4,000 feet in the air, resulting in 7 hospitalizations and some very nervous passengers. The Magic Mike actor recently appeared on Kelly Ripa's podcast Let's Talk Off Camera, where he shared his harrowing experience on that viral flight. As he put it,
It’s suspended disbelief, it’s zero gravity. Your red wine and the glass and the plates that the food was on are all suspended floating still in the air. To look at it for that long, which wasn’t that long 1, 2, 3, 4. And then boom everything comes crashing down. It was a hell of a scare. Complete loss of control. You’re complete 100 percent feeling of ‘I am not in control, I have no way to get control in this moment.’
Does anyone else have chills? While I've mostly gotten over flight anxiety thanks to traveling for work, this would absolutely send me reeling. And as the Dallas Buyer's Club actor put it, there's a profound sense of powerless that comes with this type of incident. Because really, there's nothing that passengers can do when dealing with plane issues... even if you're an Oscar-winning actor.
This terrifying drop in altitude was made all the more scary because Matthew McConaughey wasn't wearing his seat belt at the time. He explained this to Kelly Ripa, and how the incident occurred seemingly out of nowhere. As he put it,
My tray table is what held me down, I did not have my seat belt on. There was not a seat belt warning right before it happened. I just immediately reached over, made sure Camila had her seat belt on. Held hands there saying ‘Ok is that it? Is another one coming?’ Another one did come.
Thank goodness that Matthew McConaughey had his tray table down at the time of this unexpected mid-flight scare. Because while his food and drinks were floating around him during the moment of weightlessness, the table itself stopped him from also traveling outside of his seat. Who knows? He might have needed some serious medical attention if the situation went down differently.
McConaughey's comments about his seatbelt shows why flight attendants often encourage passengers to wear theirs, even if the flight isn't experiencing turbulence. Because clearly things can change quickly. The rom-com icon spoke to what his fellow travelers reacted to the drop in altitude, saying:
It was odd, you hear people’s reactions. Some people were ghost silent, some people were big bursts of laughter. And it was not ‘This is fun’ it was ‘I’m in shock.’ You know how it is on a plane, if you see the flight attendant not looking extremely confident you’re like ‘Uh oh.’
I'm not sweating, you are. Luckily the plane was able to be safely landed, albeit in a different location than originally planned. While there were some hospitalizations for those who were injured during the incident, there were no deaths. Although smart money says that the passengers are going to have some emotional scars moving forward. As for McConaughey, he's going to need to continue using planes regularly since he left Hollywood.
Professionally, Matthew McConaughey has an upcoming movie coming titled Dallas Sting, which is about a U.S. Women's soccer team. He'll be playing the coach, and it should be fascinating to see what else comes next for the Oscar winning talent. What's more, he's got a new TV show coming. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience
