Inside Matthew McConaughey's modest life: Actor lived in trailer for 4 years despite his millions, he now spends time with his family in Texas ranch
AUSTIN, TEXAS: The fairytale life of Matthew McConaughey with his loving wife, Camila Alves, and three children, has not been like that always. The 53-year-old actor’s childhood was anything but great as his parents, James Donald McConaughey and Mary Kathlene McCabe, shared a very toxic relationship that adversely affected their children.
As per reports, James and Mary’s marriage was so chaotic that during Matthew’s birth, his father was not present and believed that he was not his biological child. “I am the youngest brother of three and the son of parents who were twice divorced and thrice married, to each other. My dad wasn’t there the day I was born. He called my mom and said, ‘Only thing I have to say is if it’s a boy, don’t name him Kelly'," the ‘Interstellar’ star wrote in his book, ‘Greenlights’, as reported by Us Weekly.
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Difficult Childhood
Besides, Matthew’s father was quite violent toward him as he once reportedly struck him in the face for stealing pizza. In his memoir, he noted, “I’ve often regretted what I did — or didn’t do — that night. I had my chance at my rite of passage — to become his boy or a man in his eyes — but I got stage fright, pissed my pants, and failed the test. I choked.”
But eventually, Matthew became his father’s son after thrashing a bouncer. He shared, “That night was my rite of passage. Dad let me in. It was the night I became his boy, a man in his eyes. The night we became friends.”
Turning Point
‘The Dallas Buyers Club' actor’s life reportedly changed when he went to Australia as an exchange student. In his memoir, he revealed, “My identity shaken, I needed some resistance to find my footing, something to overcome, a discipline to adhere to, a sense of purpose, so I could better maintain my sanity in the strange place I was in. I decided to become a vegetarian.”
“I got very thin. I also decided to become abstinent for the rest of the year, which still had nine months in it. I started believing that my life’s calling was to become a monk. I made plans to go to South Africa after my year’s exchange and free Nelson Mandela,” he explained, before mentioning, “A year when I found myself because I was forced to. A year that also planted the seeds of a nation that continues to guide me: Life’s hard. S***t happens to us. We make s***t happen.”
‘Dazed and Confused’
McConaughey got into Hollywood by featuring in Richard Linklater's ‘Dazed and Confused’. After that, there was no going back for him as he then played different characters in movies, like ‘A Time to Kill,’ ‘Tropic Thunder,’ ‘Sing,’ ‘Interstellar,’ and ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, and earned a lot of money as well as acclaim and awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Belief in simplicity
Despite all the money and fame, McConaughey enjoys a humble life and spends a lot of time at his Texas ranch. Explaining his love for the place, he told Travel + Leisure, “Well, that you still get your horizons. One direction you still get the flat earth to the horizon and then you turn around you've got the Hill Country behind me where you've got a depth of field, perspective with the hills."
“Great hiking country! A lot of aquifers, a lot of fresh spring water around there. The wildlife is great. The clouds are another thing that people not from around there point out to me... I’d always take them for granted. My wife is in love with the clouds there. And you'll see here shortly... what the sunsets are like, it's pretty spectacular,” he says.
Not just for the ranch, ‘The Wedding Planner’ star also has a soft corner for trailers. He even reportedly made an RV his home, his office, and his vacation spot for four years. “I’ve always loved drivin’. Drivin’ is, number one, where I get some time with myself. Number two, it’s the main place I catch up on music. And number three, it’s the best way to see the country. In 1996 I got a big GMC van—it’s called Cosmo—and gutted it and put in a bed in the back, a refrigerator, and a VCR so I could watch dailies or whatever. But still it was a pretty cramped style. So I started looking at Airstreams,” he reportedly shared with Architectural Digest in 2008.
A family man, who loves God
McConaughey is a dedicated husband as well as a doting father of three. The ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ actor married the Brazilian model and designer, Camila Alves McConaughey, in 2012 and became parents to Vida Alves McConaughey, Levi Alves McConaughey, and Livingston Alves McConaughey.
Speaking about his relationship with his wife, he stated, “We have a love that we never question,” as reported by People magazine. He also shared details about their first meeting in 2006 and added, “She showed up, and she moved right to left in front of my eyes across that club. It was as if she was floating. And I did not say, 'Who is that?' I said, 'What is that?' And then introduced myself. Since that evening, I have not wanted to spend time with any other woman.”
Similarly, the actor has unconditional love for his children. “The only thing I ever knew I wanted to be was a father. And it’s remained the pinnacle for me. Being a dad was always my only dream. ... I can’t think of anything being more important,” he expressed, as reported by another People magazine story.
The star also added, “My hope is that our kids are conscientious and confident and autonomous. ... All three are very, very caring and kind individuals. I can tell you this: I’m happy and confident to say our kids do not question the love we have in our family.”
But it’s not just his family. McConaughey also loves God as he once reportedly said, "I’m a believer. I believe in God. God’s laying out the highways, but we each have our hand on the wheel. I look at Earth. I look at the little dot that we are on the planet. The world’s turning. And we’re that little individual on the planet.”
He then asserted, “That smallness can make you go, ‘Oh my gosh. I’m nothing. None of what I do matters.’ But a place of humility is actually when you realize, ‘Oh, it all matters.’ There’s a great empowerment that comes with that.”