Matthew McConaughey believes his career wouldn't have hit the heights it has if it wasn't for Joel Schumacher.

The 50-year-old actor has paid tribute to the late director, who passed away at the age of 80 this week following a year-long battle with cancer, and revealed the filmmaker "fought for [him]" to land the lead part in 1996 film A Time to Kill.

He said: "I don't see how my career could have gone to the wonderful places it has if it wasn't for Joel Schumacher believing in me back then.

"Joel not only took a chance on me, he fought for me."

McConaughey was "relatively unknown" when he landed the role of lawyer Jake Brigance in A Time to Kill, which also featured Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kevin Spacey.

And he revealed Schumacher went out of his way to set up a "secret screen test" for him.

McConaughey added to Variety: "Knowing the studio might never approve a relatively unknown like myself for the lead in A Time to Kill he set up a secret screen test for me on a Sunday morning in a small unknown studio because as he stated, 'Even if you do great, you may not get the part, so I don't want the industry to ever think you screen tested and did not get the job.'

"I remember on days where I would be having a tough time on the set, he would always remind me with the most simple and sound advice a director could give a young man, 'Hey, you are Jake Brigance. You, Matthew, are the character.' "

Several other stars have also paid tribute to Schumacher including Minnie Driver, who worked with the director on The Phantom of the Opera.  

Driver tweeted: "#JoelSchumacher was the funniest, chicest, most hilarious director I ever worked with. Once,on set,an actress was complaining about me within earshot; how I was dreadfully over the top (I was)Joel barely looked up from his NYT+said "Oh Honey,no one ever paid to see under the top" (sic)"

Director Edgar Wright wrote: "Joel Schumacher had a hell of a run. Costumes on The Last Of Sheila & Sleeper. Writer of Car Wash & The Wiz. Director of iconic 80's 90's pop hits; St Elmo's Fire, Lost Boys, Flatliners, way too many other smashes to fit here plus the prescient Fallling Down. RIP Sir. Good work! (sic)"

— BANG

Photos: TPG News/Click Photos