Matthew McConaughey’s Magic Mike Fitness Inspiration: My Backside Will Be ‘40 Feet Tall’

Matthew McConaughey’s firm physique has never been one to disappoint, but the actor admits he was motivated to get as toned as possible knowing his backside would appear more than three stories tall on screens in “Magic Mike.”

“Vanity, baby,” Matthew told Access Hollywood special correspondent Julie Moran during a new interview, of the added “Magic Mike” fitness motivation. “You want to get a bunch of guys who are already in shape [and] make sure they get in peak shape, tell them that you’re going to be in a stripping movie and then your backside is going to be 40 foot tall and wide in the center of the screen.

“It’ll get you to the gym and eating right for sure!” he added.

While the 42-year-old actor, a newly-married father of two, is happy to show off his goods for audiences, he is less pleased with being the subject of paparazzi photos in his everyday life.

“Do you ever just want to unleash on these [paparazzi]?” Julie asked Matthew.

“Absolutely,” he said, adding that he abstains from blowing a fuse by remembering that paparazzi agencies will actually earn more profit if he loses his cool.

“They’re going to sell more, they’re going to make more money, they’re going to sue you,” he said. “I choose to just say, I don’t like it. I don’t look for it, I’ve never looked for it, I’ve never called one and said, ‘We’re going to be here.’ It does feel like an invasion of privacy.”

In an effort to secure a peaceful outing for his family, the actor said he’ll sometimes attempt to bargain with cameramen.

“I’ll go, ‘Guys, do me a favor. Get your shot, go ahead, get it now. And can you leave us alone? So don’t go hide in the bushes, hop out in the street. Take your shot, get it in focus, would you? Get it in nice light and then move on,’” he said. “A lot of times they’ll adhere to that and say, ‘OK.’ Other times, they won’t. But alternative has no residual. “

Catch Matthew, along with Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Alex Pettyfer and Joe Manganiello in “Magic Mike” – in theaters on June 29.

–Erin O’Sullivan