Watch CBS News

First Trailer For Matthew McConaughey's 'Dallas Buyers Club' Debuts

Matthew McConaughy

(CBS NEWS) - Matthew McConaughey has a prescription for success in "Dallas Buyers Club."

The first trailer for the upcoming biopic was released on iTunes Tuesday. The clip shows McConaughey looking gaunt in several scenes, as he plays an AIDS patient.

"Dallas Buyers Club" tells the real-life story of Ron Woodroof -- an outwardly homophobic, drug-addicted Texas cowboy who gets diagnosed with AIDS in 1986. Doctors tell Woodroof he has just 30 days left to live, but he won't go quietly without a fight.

Determined to fight the prognosis, Woodroof discovers that it's possible to obtain non-FDA approved AIDS medications by crossing the border into Mexico. Soon, Woodroof is smuggling the AIDS drugs into the U.S. and selling them to other patients. His sales are booming, and Woodroof eventually attracts the unwanted attentions of the DEA.

Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman and actor Jared Leto also stars as Rayon, a transgender woman who develops a friendship with McConaughey's character, and Golden Globe-winner Jennifer Garner plays a sympathetic doctor.

Even thought the film hasn't even been released yet, both Leto and McConaughey have already started to attract awards buzz for their performances. The actors each lost a considerable amount of weight for their roles.

In December, Leto posted a photo on Instagram while in character, dressed in drag and looking very thin:

Read more at CBSNews.com

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.