The actor is a father to sons Livingston, 13, and Levi, 17 and daughter Vida, 16
Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- According to Matthew McConaughey, there’s nothing more important than parenting
- In an exclusive clip of Bear Grylls Is Running Wild shared with PEOPLE, The Lost Bus star speaks with host Bear Grylls about what he’s learned since becoming a husband and a father of three
- McConaughey shares his three children with wife Camila Alves
Matthew McConaughey believes there's nothing more important than parenting.
In an exclusive clip shared with PEOPLE ahead of Tuesday, April 21 episode of Bear Grylls Is Running Wild, The Lost Bus star, 56, speaks with host Bear Grylls about what he's learned since becoming a husband and a father of three.
McConaughey, who shares sons Livingston, 13, and Levi, 17, and daughter Vida, 16, with wife Camila Alves McConaughey, shares that he believes the "greatest art" a man can create is being a "good father to a son or a daughter."
"I think a man's a prince until he has children, then he becomes a king. I don't think there's anything more important that a man can do," he tells Grylls, 51. "In fact, man, we're mortal. That's the beginning of our immortality, and hopefully, we're lucky enough for them to have offspring, and it continues to pass that down. I think that's the greatest art that a man can make is being a good father to a son or a daughter."
Elsewhere in the interview, McConaughey shares that one of the things he's learned during his 13 years of marriage with the Brazilian model and entrepreneur, 43, is that the best example you can give your kids on how to treat someone is by showing them how you treat their mother.
"It's a challenge once you have children. Sometimes we get down to track where it's so much about the kids, and we look up and go, 'Oh, hey. Yeah. How are you doing?' " he said, referring to balancing parenting with a marriage. "And I got to remind myself, I forgot who told me this long time ago, [but] the best example you can give your kids is how you treat the mother."
McConaughey has plenty of impressive acting roles under his belt, but one role that he always knew he was destined for was being a dad.
"The only thing I ever knew I wanted to be was a father," the Dallas Buyers Club star told PEOPLE in October 2020. "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."
Over the years, the McConaugheys have given a window into their parenting styles and how they are raising their children. In June 2020, the couple spoke about parenthood during an interview with Town & Country, and he revealed that he is "more consistently the yes guy" of the two of them.
"Sometimes loving your kids means giving them just what they want. Other times, it means tough love," he told the outlet. "Affluent people can give their kids everything they want, but they're not usually going to get what they need. Loving a child is a lot harder if you really give a damn."
Credit: Rick Kern/FilmMagic
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While talking to PEOPLE in April 2024, McConaughey said that being a dad has "made me a better actor."
"Having children, I know, has made me a better artist and has made me a better actor, because kids see things for the first time all the time. Their questions are innocent," he said, citing his time on the HBO show True Detective.
McConaughey continued, "I cannot tell them what the show's really about, it's not age-appropriate. So I have to go into a parable for them. … I had to become a better storyteller to tell my kids about a good guy, a bad guy and a monster."
The premiere episode of Bear Grylls Is Running Wild airs Tuesday, April 21, at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.
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