Matthew McConaughey says he "would be a fool not to" consider running for Texas governor
Matthew McConaughey is looking to help his home state of Texas in more ways than one.
The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Camila Alves are hosting "We're Texas," a virtual benefit concert to help the Lone Star state after it was devastated by a massive winter storm in February.
An all-star lineup of performers are slated to appear at the event, including Kacey Musgraves, Kelly Clarkson and Willie Nelson.
"As soon as Camila and I said 'okay, something needs to be done, what do we need to do,' we came up with the idea of the benefit," McConaughey said on "CBS This Morning" Wednesday. "And then I get on the phone, and in 30 seconds — every performer, every Texas business, every sports star is like 'Yes, what do you need me to do, tell me when and where, I'm in.'"
The unusual weather system left hundreds of thousands of Texas residents without power, heat or clean water for weeks. The company running the state's power grid, ERCOT, was partially blamed for not being prepared for the storms that left 24 people dead across the South.
Texans who struggled in the icy conditions but did not face blackouts have been hit by utility bills amounting to thousands of dollars. It prompted at least one class-action lawsuit against electricity provider Griddy Energy, which charged one woman more than $9,000 for a period of time she claims her bill would normally be $200 to $250.
"As you know when these things happen, they're timely because you don't want to be too far away from the disaster when the needs are there. Which, the needs are on the ground right now," McConaughey said.
But the concert may just be one step in his plan to help Texas — the actor said he was also open to considering a run for state governor.
"I'm giving it consideration. I would be a fool not to. It's a very honorable thing to consider, you know, what that position would mean. What would it be for me, what would it mean for the people of Texas," he said. "As I've said before and I'll say again now, I have to decide for me what is my category where I can be most useful in life from here?"
McConaughey declined to comment on a possible Senate run, after current Senator Ted Cruz's trip to Cancun drew outrage as millions of his constituents were struggling.
As for the "We're Texas" benefit, McConaughey said he feels a purpose with a "capital P" to help his home state — but it was Camila who first came to him with a call to action.
"I had my head down in a project that I was working on, and Camila came and knocked on my door and said 'Do you see what's happening here?' I was like 'Yeah, it's bad.' She goes, 'No, it's real bad,'" he said. "I put my head down, gathered people to go to work."
The benefit is airing March 21 at 7 p.m. Central Texas time, and will be hosted by McConaughey himself.
"We're happy with where we are with a lot of help from a lot of people in Texas and beyond," he said.
To learn about "We're Texas" and ways you can help, go to the Just Keep Livin' Foundation site, founded by Matthew and Camila McConaughey.
