Matthew McConaughey's Wife Speaks Out About Why They Left Hollywood
The Texas born-and-raised Matthew McConaughey has been charming film audiences with his Southern drawl for decades. Whether playing the quintessential stoner in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" or an AIDS-inflicted cowboy in "Dallas Buyers' Club," McConaughey has never hidden his roots on screen. That attitude certainly applies to the actor off-set as well. On the "Popcorn with Peter Travers" show in January (per Southern Living), McConaughey gloated about Texas' influence on him, proving Hollywood never took the Lone Star State out of the boy. "The Texas I grew up in was not insular at all," McConaughey shared, continuing, "There is a certain thing that goes about Texans that says, 'Go, out, use your passport, go travel all around the world, go see other places, go as a Texan."
Such is the movie star's passion for his home state that McConaughey even considered a serious bid for Texas governor in 2021, per The Hollywood Reporter. Ultimately announcing his decision to not run in November 2021, McConaughey described elected office as "a humbling and inspiring path to ponder" nonetheless. As the Uvalde, Texas-born star told "Popcorn with Peter Travers," "I like to say I live in Austin, Texas, because I can live where I want to."
It seems McConaughey's wife, Camila Alves, prefers Texas over California as much as he does. In a recent interview, Alves opened up about their reasons for leaving Hollywood.
Camila Alves says Texan culture is surprisingly similar to Brazil's
Camila Alves feels right at home in Texas alongside husband Matthew McConaughey. In an April interview with Fox News, the Brazilian-American fashion designer shared her adoration of Texan values ever since moving to Austin with her family in 2012. "It really embodies our belief system, especially the ones I grew up with, like ... saying 'yes ma'am' or 'no, sir,'" Alves said.
Coming from a farming family in Brazil, Alves found many similarities in the two cultures' lifestyles, including "going to church on Sundays and being very into the outdoors." The family has also enjoyed the relative seclusion from paparazzi scrutiny. "You don't realize how much that's actually affecting the things you do until you actually leave and get out of it," Alves mused, adding, "The kids get to have a private way of growing up."
Alves and McConaughey aren't the only Hollywood couple who prefers Austin over Tinseltown. Joining other Hollywood transplants like Sandra Bullock, Andy Roddick, and Brooklyn Decker (per Wide Open Country), Kirsten Dunst relocated there with husband Jesse Plemons and their two sons during the pandemic. On "CBS Sunday Morning" in January, Dunst offered what Austin had over Hollywood. "People care less because it's not a movie town," she shared. "They are better with children, the parks are nicer. In general, I've had a more fun time living here." Apparently Texas is the new popular place to be for celebrities.