Matthew McConaughey gained 40 pounds and a receding hairline for his new movie

Matthew McConaughey shed close to 50 pounds for his Oscar-winning role in "Dallas Buyers Club," but now the actor has gained 40 pounds for his new movie, "Gold."

In it, McConaughey stars as a Nevada man whose life changes when he makes the largest gold find in history in the jungles of Borneo.

The film is the first feature from director Stephen Gaghan since 2005's "Syriana." Gaghan told Vulture in a new interview that McConaughey's overweight look for the film, which also includes a receding hairline, is his own and not aided by a prosthetic belly. Though a prosthetic was considered in preproduction, Gaghan ultimately threw the idea out.

"I was looking at him, and I was just like, 'I bet you could put on weight pretty quickly,'" said Gaghan, who apparently thought of devising "some kind of beer-and-milkshake diet" for McConaughey.

So the former Sexiest Man Alive added on the 40 pounds to achieve the belly for the film.

"Gold" is not the first time Gaghan has bulked up an A-list star for a role. For "Syriana," George Clooney gained 35 pounds, which led to a best supporting actor Oscar win.

"You know, I sent my mother a still photo of [McConaughey] from the set on our last day of shooting," Gaghan said, "and she called me and said, 'Oh, honey. What have you done to that poor man?'"  

We have a feeling that if it leads to another Oscar win for McConaughey, he won't mind the transformation.