Why Matthew McConaughey and His Wife Are Raising Their Family Away From Hollywood

Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves could raise their children in Hollywood, but they decided it would be best to grow up far from the spotlight. They chose McConaughey's home state of Texas, where they have a home in Austin. Texas also reminded Alves, 40, of her childhood in Brazil.

"It's been great," the Women of Today founder told Fox News Digital of living in the Lone Star State. "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.' I grew up saying those things coming from a family of farmers."

Alves was surprised to find many similarities between Texas and Brazil. "For me, being from Brazil and then coming to Texas, I discovered many similarities in terms of what families practice here, especially going to church on Sundays and being very into the outdoors," she said. "It's been a great transition."

McConaughey, 52, and Alves are parents to three children, Levi, 13, Vida, 12, and Livingston, 9. They lived in Malibu for several years, but Alves found the paparazzi unbearable. They did not realize how abnormal the situation was and its effects on them until they left, Alves noted. "The kids get to have a private way of growing up," Alves said. "So from that perspective, it was very important" to move to Texas.

Their home got a little more crowded during the pandemic when McConaughey's mother, Kay, 90, moved in. Alves said Kay has "softened" since she joined them. Although this arrangement and McConaughey's fame may make their situation unique, Alves said the two are just like any other parents. "Matthew is the one the kids will usually go to [if they want to get away with something]," Alves said. "But Matthew and I have a pretty good system where we don't play good cop, bad cop. The kids need to understand that as parents, we are on the same page."

McConaughey recently published his memoir Greenlights, and Alves is an author too. She joined Adam Mansbach to write Just Try One Bite, a new children's book to inspire picky eaters to go out of their comfort zone. "I'm a big believer that if you start the conversation early on, you are likely setting up your kids with lifelong good habits versus not talking about it all and just going through the motions," Alves told Fox News Digital. "Food is a part of our lives."