'It's time for us to embrace Trump': Matthew McConaughey says celebrities should accept the new president and 'be constructive'

  • The Oscar winner admitted to the BBC that Trump's rise to power was 'divisive' 
  • But he also said that Hollywood didn't have a choice but to give him a break 
  • He called on members of the movie industry to be 'constructive' towards him
  • Hours after his comments surfaced, he was spotted heading to the gym 
  • The actor told waiting photographers it was time for America to come together   

Matthew McConaughey says it's time for Hollywood to 'embrace and shake hands' with the fact that Donald Trump is president.

The Oscar winner tells the BBC that Trump's rise to power is 'as divisive of an inauguration' as there has ever been. 

When asked by interviewer Andrew Marr if Hollywood's elite should give Trump a break, McConaughey replied, 'They don't have a choice now, he's our president.' 

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Matthew McConaughey says it's time for Hollywood to 'embrace and shake hands' with the fact that Donald Trump is president. He was pictured heading to the gym in Beverly Hills on Thursday after his comments surfaced 

When asked by an interviewer if Hollywood's elite should give Trump a break, McConaughey (pictured on Thursday morning) replied, 'They don't have a choice now, he's our president.'

McConaughey is promoting his new film, 'Gold,' in which he plays a businessman who discovers the precious metal in the jungles of Indonesia. 

'And as divisive of a time and Inauguration as we've had, at the same time, it's time for us to embrace. 

'Shake hands with this fact, be constructive with him over the next four years. 

'Even those who most strongly disagree with his principals or things he's said or done, which is another thing, we'll see what he does compared to what he has said, no matter how much you disagreed along the way, it's time to think how constructive can you be.' 

Hours after the comments surfaced, the star was pictured heading to the gym in Beverly Hills. 

He told waiting photographers that it was time to come together and embrace Donald Trump. 

His controversial remarks came at a time when Hollywood is using the awards season to criticize Trump.

Many stalwarts of the industry, including Meryl Streep, used acceptance speeches to slam the new commander-in-chief's policies. 

Many celebrities have also been involved in protests against his immigrant travel ban from seven Muslim-majority countries.  

Matthew M McConaughey told the BBC for an interview posted online on Jan. 29, 2017, that it's time for Hollywood to 'embrace and shake hands' with the fact that Donald Trump is president

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