If you’ve been at Clark for at least two years, then you definitely remember the frenzy that was Matthew McConaughey’s visit. About a week before, an email was sent out informing students of the film crew’s presence on campus, and I instantly knew I had made the right choice by coming here.
On what felt like a normal Friday, crew members took over campus and the Sackler Science Center, inside and out. I was stuck in a three-hour art class so I didn’t get to see the star in person, but if I remember anything, it’s that Snapchat and Instagram were blowing up as other students rushed out of class to get a glimpse of the action. Sadly, no one had the chance to interact with McConaughey except the Chair of the Clark Physics Department, Chuck Agosta, who coached the actor on how to play the part of a Physics professor.
Two years later, the film Sea of Trees is now out in theatres. Most Clarkies were too busy stalking Matthew on campus to look into what the movie is actually about. Directed by Gus Van Sant, Matthew McConaughey stars alongside Ken Watanabe. The film is about an American man who travels to the Japanese “Suicide Forest” where he encounters a Japanese man with whom he starts a “journey of self-reflection and survival”. Along the way, he rediscovers his love for his wife, played by the brilliant Naomi Watts.
Some of the filming took place at other sites in Massachusetts like Purgatory Chasm and Wachusett Mountain. Watch the trailer to catch a glimpse of Clark’s campus on the big screen!