Matthew McConaughey Opens Up About His ‘Small Town’ Childhood with 'Rebellious' Parents and Bankruptcy Scares

Mar. 15, 2025

Matthew McConaughey in April 2024.Photo:Rick Kern/Getty

Rick Kern/Getty

Matthew McConaugheyis looking back on some of the more unique facets of his “small town” upbringing.

“I was born in a little small town, Uvalde.” the award-winning actor, 55, told tennis proNick Kyrgioson the latest episode of theGood Trouble with Nick Kyrgiospodcast on Wednesday, Nov. 20. “We left in 1979 because it was kinda getting too big. It was 12,000 people and a Wendy’s burger moved into town.

McConaughey, who moved back to his home state in 2014 after years spent in Hollywood, explained there was an “oil boom” in Texas at the time. His father moved the family to the town of Longview in hopes of getting a piece of the profit — but it created periods of financial uncertainty for the family.

Matthew McConaughey in Austin in November 2023.Tim Warner/Getty

Tim Warner/Getty

As for his mom, he says, she was a teacher who liked to bend the rules.

“My mom was the school teacher who would actually come home and go, ‘check it out, here’s the answers to the test.’ She’d be like, ‘this is a stupid curriculum, don’t even read it,’” he explains with a smile.

“My mom and dad were rebellious in that way. They were real good trouble, man. They were outlaws,” he says, adding, “We were a resilient family.”

Matthew McConaughey in 1997.Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Despite making it big, McConnaughey found his way back to Texas decades later when he and his wifeCamila Alves McConaughey, 41, agreed it would be best for their family to put down roots there again.

Themarried couple of 12 yearsshare three children together: sonsLevi, 16,Livingston, 11, and daughterVida, 14.

In March, the couple opened up about their decision to leave their “happy life” in Malibu, Calif. to live a slower lifestyle in Texas during an interview withSouthern Living.

The pair were visiting Matthew’s mother when Camila said she couldn’t help but notice the “gravity” that the state held for her husband throughout their trip. While stopped at a red light, Matthew said he remembered Camila “blurted” out, “You want to move here, don’t you?” And the rest was history.

Matthew McConaughey and wife Camila Alves McConaughey in March 2024.Mike Coppola/Getty

Mike Coppola/Getty

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After officially making the move with their kids in 2014, the two said they’ve noticed the positive impact living outside of Hollywood has had on their family.

“Time slowed down,” Matthew told the outlet. “The clock was right, the body clock. And part of that is ritual; part of that is just the distance between places and the way people move. But it’s also the hospitality, the courtesy, the common sense, the lack of drama.”

source: people.com