Act of HEROISM

Hollywood star MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY on how a brave bus driver inspired his latest film

- By Victoria Wilson

Matthew McConaughey is no stranger to projects inspired by real events, notably winning an Oscar for Best Actor with his portrayal of Ron Woodroof, a cowboy who turned activist after being diagnosed with HIV, in 2014 biopic Dallas Buyers Club.

The Texas-born Tinseltown star now leads the cast of The Lost Bus, a one-off drama exploring the true story of an heroic rescue mission that unfolded in November 2018 after a faulty power line sparked a wildfire in California that claimed the lives of 85 people and destroyed the town of Paradise.

Arriving on Apple TV+ this week, the film centres around Matthew's character, Kevin McKay, a bus driver who responds to an emergency call to collect 22 young children and their dedicated teacher, Mary Ludwig (Barbie's America Ferrera), after they are stranded at their school and then navigating them to safety.

Adapted from journalist Lizzie Johnson's 2021 firsthand account Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire, the screenplay is written and directed by Paul Greengrass (the Bourne franchise), while Oscar-winning actor Jamie Lee Curtis is on producer duties (see panel, right).

Here, Matthew, 55, tells TV Times