Matthew McConaughey, 50, says he keeps his late father’s ‘spirit alive’ by talking to him… after the patriarch passed away in 1992
Matthew McConaughey keeps his late father’s ‘spirit alive’ by talking to him.
The 50-year-old actor explained his Just Keep Livin’ mantra stemmed from the way he responded to his dad’s death and made it his outlook on life as he’s found there is nothing that can’t be made ‘better’ by the slogan, which is also the name of his foundation.
‘In 1992, I was five days into shooting Dazed and Confused’and I got a phone call that my father had passed on,’ he told Town & Country. ‘I drove to Houston to be with my family. I was with them for five days, and they told me to get back to work. The first night back, I was walking around and it hit me that my father was no longer here, but I could still keep his spirit alive if I talked aloud to him.’
His past: Matthew McConaughey keeps his late father’s ‘spirit alive’ by talking to him. The 50-year-old actor explained his Just Keep Livin’ mantra stemmed from the way he responded to his dad’s death and made it his outlook on life as he’s found there is nothing that can’t be made ‘better’ by the slogan, which is also the name of his foundation
His dad had good looks too! The actor’s father is seen here in his year book; he passed away in 1992 before Matthew became famous
He added, ‘So, 28 years later, I’ve been unable to find anything that isn’t better if you take that mantra and slap it on it. There are choices in life; there’s a way to make the ‘just keep livin” decision with every decision we make.’
The Wolf Of Wall Street star – who has children Levi, 11, Vida, 10, and Livingston, seven, with wife Camila Alves – always wanted to help high school students because he felt it was the final opportunity to stop them straying down the wrong path.
Speaking to Town & Country Magazine’s annual Philanthropy Issue, he said: ‘I always knew I wanted it to be kids, because I wanted the entire foundation to provide prevention before we needed a cure.
‘High school’s the last place you can catch somebody and get them on the right track, before they no longer have to listen to a teacher or parent.
Faily ties: McConaughey, his mother Kay McCabe, his wife and their three children, Levi Alves McConaughey, Livingston Alves McConaughey and Vida Alves McConaughey in 2019
It takes two: McConaughey and Alves look like the ultimate power couple as they appear on the cover of Town & Country’s Philanthropy Issue
‘If they’re screwing up in high school and do some of the same stuff after they graduate, they may go to jail–or worse.’
And the program focuses on physicality because Matthew believes that has far-reaching consequences.
He explained: Being active is incredibly important–physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Giving back: Matthew wanted to serve at-risk teenagers because he felt they still had a chance to overcome their circumstances
‘There’s science behind how exercise and nutrition can help your mental acuity, and how that helps kids in our age group. Their grades go up, behaviour gets better, it’s a stress reliever.’
He appeared on the magazine cover with his wife Camila Alves, 38.
Matthew admitted he’s more inclined to say ‘yes’ to their children than his wife.
‘From the snicker that my wife’s giving me, it seems that I’m more consistently the yes guy. She’s probably right,’ he admitted.
Doing good! The couple posed with alumnae of their program, (L to R) Malik Diaz, Mara Gutierrez Salmeron, and Reyes Sena