He did a string of indie hits, Killer Joe, The Paperboy and Mud, before strutting into his most highly-acclaimed works Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf of Wall Street and HBO’s True Detective.
His most celebrated era ended with his Best Actor Oscar win as a 47-pound lighter man dying from AIDS in Buyers Club.
He didn’t return to the big screen until 2011 for The Lincoln Lawyer, thus beginning his career comeback, the “McConaissance.”
The actor wanted to break out from the “guy gets the girl” story he had explored time and time again for the decade.