McConaughey Reveals the Four Stages of True Detective Rustin Cohle

When Matthew McConaughey was preparing for the psychedelicallycomplex character he plays in HBOs twisted, acclaimed True Detective(the final episode airs on Sunday), he made a monster document to help him find his way. The show spans 17 years, during which time Rustin Rust Cohle variously exists as a sober, hyperanalytical homicide detective, a coke-and-meth-fueled undercover agenthe calls Crash and a troubled, alcoholic ex-cop. I just basically broke it down and made a 450-page graph of where Cohle was and where he was coming from, McConaughey says, flipping through the document until he gets to part hes looking for.

The Dark Thrills of True Detective

Here, inMcConaugheys own words, are the Four Stages of Rustin Cohle:

1995 Cohle
Back to being a part of the body. Hes coming off of years being Crash. Hes trying to walk the line. Monk-like. Trying to hold it together. And thats a lot easier with less interaction with others. Theres a mechanical side to him. He needs the regimen of the homicide detective. He needs the case to actuallysurvive. One, because hes great at it. And two, because its going to keep him from killing himself.

Crash
Hes our deep, narco wild-ass. A guy who goes allthe way. This is where Cohle has all the freedom. He can go over the edge as this guy. And inside, he loves the life of Crash even more, because the shackles are off of him. He knows he may die sooner living this life, but theres a freedom and peace in thatknowledge for him.

2002 Cohle
A little looser mix of Crash and the 95 Cohle.A guy whos made his boundaries clear and has to mark less territory, so hes relaxed into his way in the world. But the case is still his lifeline. He has some small hope that theres going to be a way out of his being and pain and criticism, so he makesan effort into domesticity, a la the girlfriend. Only to prove that he was not made for it, and there is no way out. So what does he do? He resigns to his nature, once again.

2012 Cohle.
This guy lived longer than he hoped. Fallen preyto his own beliefs. More cynical, angrier, hes had to endure the existence of this shitstorm called life. A little ragged, more rough edges, living in a place where he can manage himself. Not too close. Hes not in the CID. But hes not in Alaska. Hes aguy whos resigned to his indentured servitude of being alive. But he despises the sentence and the penance. He will not accept defeat. Hes not going become a madman, hes not going to kill himself. He wrestles the devil every day, and he realizes that thismay last a lot longer than he ever hoped for.

Read Our Full Q&A With True Detectives Matthew McConaughey