The 'Dallas Buyers Club' actor recalls a scary experience when he encountered a deadly brown snake while staying Down Under when he was an exchange student.
- Nov 21, 2019
AceShowbiz - Matthew McConaughey had a near-death experience when he stepped on a brown snake during his trip to Australia as an exchange student in the 1980s.
The 50-year-old actor is currently doing the promo rounds Down Under for his Wild Turkey whiskey and was asked during an interview on the "Today" show what his favourite Australian animal is.
"The brown snake," he replied. "When I was here, I almost stepped on one. I should have been bitten."
The terrifying incident occurred at Matthew's friend's house in Warnervale, north of Sydney, with the "Serenity" star continuing, "It was a bit dark. It went right through my legs and gave me bit of a scare. My friend came over and they caught it and said, 'That's a brown snake, mate... that could have really sucked.' "
Laughing, he concluded, "That's (why it's) my favourite animal, because it didn't bite me!"
The brown snake is considered to be the world's second most deadly land snake, with its venom causing cardiac arrest, cardiovascular collapse and haemorrhage if left untreated. The serpent, which is native to eastern and central Australia, has been responsible for 23 deaths since 2000.
