Matthew McConaughey has read all his bad reviews – and I applaud him | Polly Hudson

The Hollywood actor revealed he once read two-decades’ worth of pans in one fell swoop, during two days in the desert. It’s the kind of preposterous self-flagellation we can all learn from and enjoy

To assume makes an ass out of you and me, but as sweeping generalisations go, this seems fairly uncontroversial: nobody likes hearing themselves being criticised. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule – no kink shaming here – but most people aren’t fans.

Which is why a recent admission from Matthew McConaughey is unusual. The Hollywood actor revealed that he once spent two days in the desert reading 20 years’ worth of negative reviews about himself.