Matthew McConaughey
Actor Matthew McConaughey is serous about playing Richard Wershe Jr.'s father in the upcoming film "White Boy Rick."
This past week, in preparation for the movie, the actor spent 5 1/2 hours the Oaks Correctional Facility in northern Michigan where Wershe, aka "White Boy Rick," is currently housed, reports Kevin Dietz of WDIV. They met in a prison room in the presence of a prison official.
Wershe, 47, who was convicted of cocaine trafficking as a teenager, is hoping for a shot at parole in the coming months after serving 29 years in prison. He's the longest serving juvenile drug offender in Michigan history.
Wershe tells WDIV he was very pleased with his meeting with McConaughey.
Rick Wershe Jr. as a teen and now.
"He's just a genuine person and I'm glad that he's the one playing the part of my dad," Wershe said an interview by phone. "We talked about life in general, my family, spending all this time in here, life after getting out of here. It was good, just general conversation. He came up and said he wanted to meet me. I think he's real passionate about the story and he sees the injustice in it."
"We talked a little bit about how I was as a kid. We talked about my dad and how my dad was, you know, the good and the bad. It was good. It was a good conversation. It was awesome meeting him. I couldn't have had a better day, for a day in prison."
"We all talked, laughed, shared some moments. I think people see the movie stars and think a certain way about them, and he's just super down to earth. I couldn't be happier with who they found to play my father. Like I said, I couldn't have a better day in prison ... I came out of it feeling even better," he said.
A documentary on Wershe's life, "White Boy," premieres at the Detroit Free Press film festival March 31, at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
