The Interstellar Smoking meme is a popular digital edit featuring Matthew McConaughey’s character, Joseph Cooper, appearing deeply stressed while smoking a cigarette. While the character famously cries during a heart-wrenching scene in the 2014 film Interstellar, he does not actually smoke; the cigarette is typically edited in to mirror McConaughey's iconic chain-smoking character, Rust Cohle, from True Detective. This crossover imagery has become the internet's go-to reaction for representing feelings of overwhelming anxiety, the confusion of navigating complex life situations, or the sheer exhaustion felt after contemplating the mysteries of time and space.