Oscar-Winning Actor and Unexpected Redskins Fan Uses His Views on Gun Control to Weigh in on NFL Team's Name

You might not know it about the Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey with his Texas twang and all, but he's actually a long-time Washington Redskins fan.

McConaughey talked about his affinity for the NFL team, how it started and his thoughts about the name controversy in a recent interview with GQ.

McConaughey said his rooting for the 'skins started as young as 4 years old. But why?

"Two things. First: 4 years old, watching Westerns, I always rooted for the Indians. Second, my favorite food was hamburgers. The Redskins had a linebacker named Chris Hanburger," McConaughey told GQ's Brett Martin.

Academy Award winning actor Matthew McConaughey, left, walks with Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III after an NFL football practice at Redskins Park, on Wednesday, June 4, 2014, in Ashburn, Va. (AP/ Evan Vucci)

Martin challenged his reasoning, asking if "that's all it took?"

"When you're 4 years old, that's all it takes," McConaughey fired back. "I got a Redskins hat in my bag right now."

When it comes to the controversy over the Redskins' name and logo, which some have deemed offensive to Native Americans, McConaughey shared his own thoughts.

"What interests me is how quickly it got pushed into the social consciousness," he told GQ. "We were all fine with it since the 1930s, and all of a sudden we go, 'No, gotta change it'? It seems like when the first levee breaks, everybody gets on board. I know a lot of Native Americans don't have a problem with it, but they're not going to say, 'No, we really want the name.' That's not how they're going to use their pulpit."

McConaughey continued comparing this sentiment to his stance on gun control.

"I get it. You have the right to have guns. But look, let's forget that right. Let's forget the pleasure you get safely on your range, because it's in the wrong hands in other places," he told the men's magazine.

As for the Redskins logo, which shows the profile of a Native American profile with a small feathered headdress, the 44-year-old actor said that he believes it will change — even though he doesn't want it to.

"I love the emblem. I dig it. It gives me a little fire and some oomph," he said.

Read GQ's full interview.

(H/T: Gawker)

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Front page image via cinemafestival/Shutterstock.