Matthew McConaughey has long been known as one of the only openly devout Christian stars in Hollywood. In a new interview, McConaughey is revealing why he actively works to keep his Christian faith strong.
‘When My Faith Is Strong…’
“I want to keep my faith as strong as possible, because when my faith is strong … I have more courage to take risks in my life and follow through on them,” McConaughey, 55, told Fox News. “I think the third would be keep moving.”
“Keep moving, it seems like, man, one of the things that gets everybody in old age is they have trouble staying on their feet,” he continued. “And it’s not the injury from getting hit, it’s the doggone injury from dropping the keys and trying to reach back and pick them up the wrong way and all the other back. Or an elder falls and breaks a hip. It’s usually pretty close, man. They’re going out, so try and stay on your feet.”
McConaughey Flees Hollywood
Despite being a successful star for decades, McConaughey doesn’t make his home in Hollywood. Instead, he left Malibu, California in 2014 to move back to his home state of Texas. He now lives in Austin with his wife Camila Alves and their three children.
“It’s not an entertainment industry town. I like the pace here,” McConaughey explained. “I like where a mile feels like a mile and 60 minutes feels like an hour. I like the common sense here.”
“This is where my family is,” he added. “My mother’s 35 minutes north of us. My two brothers are here in the state. We travel to see them, they travel to us. I’ve got old friends that I still see from college here. It just fits for me and I still feel creative.”
Though McConaughey still loves Hollywood, he believes that living in Texas full-time has “been very good” for him.
“My lessons in performing, being an artist and an actor, come from observing real life,” he stated. “And I don’t necessarily, as much as I enjoy, and Hollywood’s been very good to me, I don’t wanna see a performance everywhere.”
“I wanna sit back and have some experiences, some real life experiences, learn from those, take that into maybe my next performance when it’s time,” he continued. “But I like the life we live here.”
McConaughey’s Wife Weighs In
McConaughey’s wife Camila Alves, who he’s been married to for thirteen years, has also talked about how much she loves their life in Texas. Indeed, Alves believes Texas aligns with their strong family values well.
“It really embodies our belief system, especially the ones I grew up with, like going to church every Sunday, saying ‘yes ma’am’ or ‘no, sir,'” said Alves, 42. “I grew up saying those things coming from a family of farmers.”
“For me, being from Brazil and then coming to Texas, I discovered a lot of similarities in terms of what families practice here, especially going to church on Sundays, and being very into the outdoors,” she concluded. “It’s been a great transition.”
In the crazy world of Hollywood, it’s rare to find someone who is as focused on their faith and family as McConaughey is. God bless you and your family, Matthew McConaughey!