AUSTIN, Texas — Two big-name Hollywood stars stopped by the Texas State Capitol on Monday to make the case for increased film incentives in the Lone Star State.
At a Senate Finance Committee hearing for Senate Bill 22, actors and Texas natives Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson urged state lawmakers to boost those incentives by passing the bill. SB 22 would put $500 million every two years toward a long-term film incentive fund.
McConaughey and Harrelson have been vocal about their desire to bring more film and TV projects to Texas. The pair stopped by the Capitol on their day off from filming the Apple TV series “Brothers,” which is shooting in Dripping Springs.
McConaughey told lawmakers he and Harrelson both gave back 15% of their salaries to shoot the show in Texas instead of Georgia, which has a more generous incentive program. He also laid out how that production is already giving back to Texas.
“In this 10-episode series, which we are one episode into with nine still to shoot, I want to give you a little example of the kind of money that productions can give Texas and Texans,” McConaughey said. “We’ve already spent over $12 million on Texas goods and labor, and we are averaging over $2 million a week spent to date, with 12 weeks still scheduled to shoot.”
The Oscar winner told lawmakers the film incentive program could be both profitable and sustainable – “a self-sustaining prophecy” – if it’s done right.
“If we pass this bill in Texas, we are immediately at the bargaining table for shooting more films, and television, and commercials in our state,” McConaughey said. “Also, more Texans who left Texas and went to other incentivized states for work – because there wasn’t enough work here – are going to move back … But like you, I want to get even more, more Texan, more Texas residents hired and employed. Ideally, enough where we don’t have to bring in out-of-state labor at all to do the jobs needed.”
McConaughey went on to say that if SB 22 is passed, the state can think even bigger. One suggestion he made is that Texas invest in training its own workforce.
“Jobs like electricians, lighting, construction, set designers, decorators, hair, makeup, painters, special effects, transportation, accountants, bookkeepers – all damn good-paying jobs. So Texas can have a resident workforce that can grow with the rate of the productions that are going to come here,” McConaughey said. “For example, Taylor Sheridan [creator of ‘Yellowstone’ and its spinoffs] already has a successful partnership with Tarrant Community College. One hundred percent of the students coming out of that program are employed and getting employed. But a whole lot more are needed.”
McConaughey also addressed criticisms that SB 22 would mainly benefit big cities, especially Austin, over other parts of the state, saying that SB 22 gives extra incentives to productions shot in rural areas.
“A lot of these productions aren’t going to New Mexico to get Santa Fe as the big city, or Albuquerque as the big city, in the background. They’re going to New Mexico for the rural areas that would be shot right here in Texas,” McConaughey said.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick joined McConaughey and Harrelson at the hearing. SB 22 is one of his priority bills this session.