Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson have reunited for a “True Detective” moment in a new ad directed by series creator Nic Pizzolato.
In the video for True to Texas, McConaughey and Harrelson — who embody their “True Detective” characters Detectives Rust Cohle and Marty Hart, respectively — call for the Texas legislature to create new incentives for film and TV productions in the state. The ad also includes appearances by Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton and Renee Zellweger.
“Hollywood is a flat circle, Wood,” McConaughey says in the video. He later adds, “This industry is like somebody’s memory of an industry, and the memory’s fading. I’m talking about a whole new hub for film and television. A renaissance. A rebirth.”
“A small fraction of Texas budget surplus to turn this state into the new Hollywood,” Harrelson says.
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“If all these other states are going to offer an incentive, then that’s where we’re going to keep going,” adds Zellweger. “I just wish we could bring some of these productions home to Texas.”
Several entertainment figures have urged the Texas legislature to boost support for in-state production by increasing film and TV incentives. During a legislative hearing in October 2024, “Yellowstone” co-creator Taylor Sheridan told lawmakers (per AP News), “One of my great frustrations was that I wrote ‘Hell or High Water,’ and they filmed the darn thing in New Mexico. My love story to Texas was shot west of where it should have been shot.”
Last week, the Texas senate announced that it had filed a budget that included $498 million to revamp the Texas Film Incentive, making the Lone Star State the “movie capital of the world.” The budget consists of $48 million in grants for small films and TV commercials, and up to $450 million in new tax credits, including Texas residency requirements for workers.