Matthew McConaughey says stripping is like "a drug."

The 42-year-old actor was told by director Steven Soderbergh that he didn't have to bare all in new movie Magic Mike - in which he plays former stripper Dallas - but knew he would regret it if he didn't flash his flesh, and was surprised by how much he enjoyed the experience.

"It wasn't in the script, but Soderbergh said in the beginning that if it felt right, I could strip at the end of the movie. I said, 'I gotta dance, man.' I would regret it for the rest of my life if I was in a male stripper movie and didn't get up there and strip myself. At first it was scary as hell, but then it became like a drug, and I couldn't wait to do it again. Look, I love to dance, but I've never been a stripper. Channing [Tatum]'s one of the best hip-hop street dancers I've ever seen, and I didn't want to challenge his style, so I worked on my own strengths. I also knew that my dance had to be the dirtiest. It had to be wonderfully filthy," he admitted.

Matthew - who stars in the film alongside Channing Tatum and Alex Pettyfer - is known for his toned physique and refused to use a body double in any of his scenes. Asked if he had considered a body double, he told The Advocate, "No way. That's all me up there. I don't need a stunt a**."

And the actor - who has children Levi, three, and two-year-old Vida with fiancee Camila Alves - admitted all of the cast were in good shape because their "vanity" spurred them on to be as "ripped" as possible. "Everybody was pretty damn ripped already, but boy, if you really want to get men in great shape, just tell them they're going to play male strippers in a movie and have their s**t onscreen for the rest of time. Vanity, baby," he added.