True Detective Creator Discusses Casting Matthew McConaughey, Series' Origin as Novel and Play, Misunderstandings About Rust Cohle Character

"True Detective" Creator Nic Pizzolatto reflects on the challenging casting process for Matthew McConaughey, misconceptions about Rust Cohle’s character and the evolution of the crime series from its origins as a novel and stage play.

• True Detective's creator, Nic Pizzolatto, initially wanted Matthew McConaughey for the role of Rust Cohle due to his physicality and distinct acting style, challenging the traditional perception of an intellectual character as a "physical weakling".
• Pizzolatto faced resistance from producers who couldn't reconcile the well-read detective character Cohle with McConaughey’s macho persona. However, Pizzolatto believed that any actor reading the role would prefer Cohle to the role of Hart, which proved to be true when McConaughey showed interest in playing Cohle.
• Contrary to some fans' interpretation, Rust Cohle does not believe the nihilistic philosophy he spouts. Pizzolatto explains that while Cohle's dialogue may be grim and intentionally funny, the character is much more complex and conscious of the world's meaning.
• True Detective started as a novel idea with alternating points of view from the characters of Rust and Marty. It then considered as a stage play, but eventually, Pizzolatto decided that it would make a better TV show.
• The concept for True Detective came to fruition in 2010 and remained largely unchanged through its development into a television series, with lines written in 2010 still making it into the series aired in 2014.

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