Matthew McConaughey spotted at downtown Birmingham cafe: âHe was so niceâ
McConaWatch continues in the Birmingham area, as Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey continues to turn up while shooting his new film “The Rivals of Azmiah King” this summer.
The Oscar-winning actor known for films like “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Dazed and Confused” and “A Time to Kill” was spotted at Frothy Monkey in downtown Birmingham on Saturday where he enjoyed a meal and then talked and took photos with fans on his way out.
“We were having lunch at the Frothy Monkey and were fortunate to sit at the table next to him Saturday,” said Kate Donaldson, a teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge.
She said they spotted him in the restaurant and waited for him to finish eating before they approached, as she snapped a pic of the bearded McConaughey (wearing a driving cap and long chain necklace) and her son Jake Ingram.
“He was so nice and was very generous with his time and posed with several people during his lunch,” Donaldson said.
Located at 2320 2nd Ave N. in downtown Birmingham, Frothy Monkey is an independently owned café, specialty coffee roaster and wholesale bakery in the old Urban Standard space. The restaurant serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner Monday to Sunday. In addition to coffee, the café also serves craft beer, wine and cocktails.
This marks the second sighting of the “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and “Magic Mike” star in just a few days, after he was spotted on set Friday at J&J Grocery & Deli in Bessemer.
J&J is one of about 70 locations in the greater Birmingham area that will be used during the filming, so there should be plenty of opportunities for McConaughey-spotting this summer.
MORE: Matthew McConaughey spotted at burger joint in Alabama as movie filming begins
Principal photography on “The Rivals of Azmiah King,” from director Andrew Patterson, was set to begin on Monday, according to Goleman Casting, but it appears that filming began a few days early.
On Thursday, Goleman posted a casting notice for Friday for the Birmingham area, seeking background actors to play patrons at a restaurant called the Dead Dino.
Although the movie is set in Oklahoma, locations in and around Birmingham will be used for filming during a seven-week period in June and July, according to Jessica Moody, director of programs and operations for Film Birmingham and Create Birmingham.
A May 18 Facebook notice from Goleman Casting said “The Rivals of Amziah King” was seeking background actors and extras for a wide variety of roles.
These roles ranged in age from children to seniors, and included truck drivers, nurses, jail guards, church attendees, elementary school pupils and more. About 1,600 submissions for the background roles came in via email, Goleman Casting said Friday on Facebook.
McConaughey was announced as the star of “The Rivals of Amziah King” on May 8 by Black Bear Pictures, an independent studio based in California and London. Reports at the time described the movie as a “deeply atmospheric, character-focused crime thriller set against the unique backdrop of remote Oklahoma.”
McConaughey, 53, is a household name in the entertainment world. He’s known for movies such as “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Dazed and Confused,” “A Time to Kill,” “The Lincoln Lawyer,” “Magic Mike,” “Mud,” “Free State of Jones,” “Interstellar” and more. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and other accolades for his role in 2013′s “Dallas Buyers Club.” He also earned acclaim for his work in the first season of the TV series “True Detective.”
This isn’t McConaughey’s first visit to Alabama.
He previously filmed scenes for 2006′s “Failure to Launch” in Cherokee and Etowah counties, according to a 2005 report by The Gadsden Times. The actor went rock climbing at Cherokee Rock Village in Leesburg and filmed a mountain-biking scene on a nearby ridge, a producer for the movie said.
McConaughey also was spotted in Mobile in February 2015, around the time he filmed “Free State of Jones” in Louisiana.
Director/writer Patterson, 40, made his directing debut with 2019′s “The Vast of Night,” a sci-fi movie you can stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Patterson previously worked on another project with the same title, “The Rivals of Amziah King,” but it’s unclear if it will bear any resemblance to what he’s filming in Alabama this summer. A report by the Corsicana Daily Sun said Patterson filmed scenes there in August 2018 for a movie called “The Rivals of Amziah King,” and described its storyline this way:
“The film is based upon a woman named Kateri, who is played by Beckah Boykin, that leaves her small town life behind for bigger ventures. After learning her grandfather has gone missing, she returns and begins the business of beekeeping, fighting her way to the top, while she searches for him.”
A handful of videos from actors auditioning for the 2018 movie can be found on YouTube, but there’s no evidence that an earlier version of “The Rivals of Azmiah King” was ever completed or released.
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