Part 1: Sidelined with "Sexiest Man Alive" Matthew McConaughey

Part 2     Part 3

Suzy Byrne is a 1998 graduate of Marshall University. For the last three years, the native New Yorker has been the entertainment producer at iVillage.com, which is owned by NBC Universal. She is the voice behind iVillage's Daily Blabber gossip blog, which is also a weekly online show. Prior to that, she was an assistant editor at Soap Opera Digest.

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As a celebrity writer, the majority of my work takes place in Manhattan and Los Angeles -- award shows, movie junkets and concerts. So when I was invited to Huntington -- of all places! -- to interview Matthew McConaughey on the sidelines at a Marshall game... well, this alum definitely did the Thunderclap.

Any chance I'm given to go back to West Virginia, I take. It's home away from home for me – even though I'm a native New Yorker -- and it means so much to be there. Driving on Hal Greer Boulevard... Looking up at the window of my old room in Holderby... Tailgating by the stadium... So this plum assignment -- interviewing the "Sexiest Man Alive" in Huntington about We Are Marshall -- was truly as good as it gets for this reporter.

As you can imagine, there was a buzz in the press room while we waited for Matthew to arrive. The first few rows of seats weren't filled with the regular reporters you'd see covering a Marshall football press conference. For one, there were a lot of ladies in attendance. Two, they were all dressed to the nines and coiffed to perfection. And instead of just local news outlets and a maybe someone from ESPN, there were reporters from MTV and Extra as well. Suddenly this film we've heard so much about – and means so much to our school -- seemed real.

When Matthew appeared -- sporting a We Are Marshall shirt, jeans and his much buzzed about beard (it's for a movie) – he didn't disappoint. He talked about interacting with the people of Huntington, shooting on the Marshall campus and how he immediately knew that the We Are Marshall script was a winner.

"There have been two scripts in my career -- I've made 37 films -- that I've finished the last page and said 'I'm in no matter what,'" he smiled. "The very first was Dazed and Confused, which was my first acting job... And then this one."

From there, it was down to the field for one-on-one interviews, which took place in the end zone. As soon as Matthew descended to the field, there was such a buzz in the stadium -- and this was a good hour before kickoff. People pointing, yelling and waving to him. Later, when I saw my college roommate, she said: "I saw Matthew make his way down to the field and everyone was staring and making a fuss. Then, I saw you a few steps behind him. I thought: I can't believe she's part of Matthew McConaughey's entourage!

Not really, but there are worse people to be associated with, right?

In my Hollywood dealings, I've learned that all interactions with celebrities -- especially those of Matthew's magnitude -- feel a little like you're holding on to the back of a speeding locomotive. Interviews happen at lightening pace, so much so that my 10 minutes with Matthew felt like it was over in about 1. I always say I'm glad everything's recorded… or I might just forget it ever really happened. And the whole time, there are distractions. In this case, it was cheerleaders who want to pose for photos with him. Fans who want to shake his hand. Publicists who had to go over itineraries. Autograph seekers. It's a bit of a nightmare for anyone with ADD.

This is the second time I'd met Matthew, so I already knew that he was intense. Eyes locked on you the whole time, carefully thought-out answers and he actually listens to what you have to say. As soon as I reminded him I was a Marshall grad, he asked me questions -- and tugged on his beard while absorbing my answers.

Which brings me to this: For a lot of Hollywood actors, it's all about the fame and big paychecks. But Matthew is the type of guy who's known for getting behind his projects… whether it's driving cross-country in his Airstream trailer to promote Sahara or flying to out-of-the-way Huntington -- days before jetting to Australia to shoot another film -- to be on the sidelines at a Marshall game. His level of commitment is rare in a world where celebrities would rather be doing body shots off Lindsay Lohan at Bungalow 8 rather than interacting with – gasp! -- "regular" people.

As cool as it was interviewing Matthew and We Are Marshall's enthusiast and charming director, McG, being on the field during a Marshall game was equally exciting for this Marshall girl… even when I was nearly nailed by a missed field goal attempt.

Hey, it was all in a day's work.

On a final note, since I received my acceptance letter to Marshall back in 1993, I can't tell you how many times I've heard: "Marshall University? Where's that?" So I can't wait for December 22 -- when the movie is released -- and I can stop answering that very question. Because everyone will know about good ole Marshall thanks to this story that's being told -- and made -- with a lot of heart.

Check out Suzy's photos and commentary from the game on iVillage.com.