Since 2012, Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves have become one of the most beloved couples in the entertainment industry. They can often be spotted posing together at splashy Hollywood events like the Oscars, SAG Awards, and movie premieres, and they aren't afraid to open up to the press about the three children they are raising—plus the “secret” to their relationship’s success.
A Brazilian transplant who moved to New York at age 19 to pursue modeling, Alves has appeared in films like Snow Dogs and The Confidant, plus she’s launched a line of handbags called Muxo. She also runs a blog called Women of Today and is the founder of Yummy Spoonfuls, a company that provides organic food for children. McConaughey, meanwhile, is an Oscar winning actor, best known for films such as Dallas Buyers Club, Magic Mike, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
Before we dig into why their love simply works, let’s first take a trip down memory lane.
McConaughey and Alves got married in 2012.
The pair walked down the aisle together on June 9 at a wedding held inside a private home. “We decided to embrace the ritual of marriage as an opportunity and adventure we’ll take together,” McConaughey told People then.
The couple have three children—Levi, 10, Vida, 9, and Livingston, 6— and at the time of the wedding, Levi and Vida were 4 and 2, serving as ring bearer and flower girl at the ceremony. “Somehow they both seem to understand what we are doing on a spiritual level,” Alves told People of the children’s involvement.
Since it’s, you know, a famous Hollywood couple we’re talking about here, guests at the wedding included Woody Harrelson, Kenny Chesney, and Reese Witherspoon. Interestingly enough, a wedding wasn’t always in the cards for them. “I think it’s something we evolved to,” Alves told People. “I was never the girl that grew up saying I want to get married. I actually told my parents to not expect me to get married.”
The story of how they met sounds kind of awkward.
Let’s just say it wasn’t necessarily love at first sight. Alves explained that they met at a bar in Los Angeles and she wasn’t particularly interested. “The first interaction, I did not know who he was,” she told Access Hollywood. “At the time he had a really long beard, and he had this rasta hat. He was all covered up, and I didn’t really realize who he was.”
Once his friend Lance Armstrong walked over, she figured it out. “Lance came to talk to me,” she said. “You knew they were always together, so I’m like, OK, I’m outta here. I’m going to the other side of the room!”
In an interview with Southern Living, McConaughey explained he saw her from across the room and approached her that night, speaking with her in Spanish and Portuguese and also asking her friends to join his. “Get your ass out of the chair and go get her,” he said he told himself.
They have three children—who are super cute.
Levi, Vida, and Livingston don’t make too many appearances, but when they do, it’s obvious these kids got some good genes. In February, the family stopped for the cameras at the 2019 Texas Medal of Arts Awards, where McConaughey was honored and also arrived with his 87-year-old mother, Kay.
In 2014, they happily posed together at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
And while it’s rare, Alves sometimes posts sweet family updates on Instagram.
So what are they like as parents? In 2018, McConaughey opened up during the Today show.
“The main thing is that my wife and I, Camila, we have a similar moral bottom line. And as you learn, if you have kids, every day they get older, you realize how much more it’s really DNA,” he said about disciplining them. “We can nudge 'em and shepherd 'em, et cetera et cetera, but they are who they are. And right now, I’m just happy to say we have three healthy ones and they’re very much individuals.”
The secret to their relationship success is quite simple.
Basically, the reason their love seems picture-perfect is 'cause they prioritize it. “[We do] a lot of staying at home, cooking together or getting a hotel room that is 10 minutes away from the house,” she told Us Weekly in 2018. “Just the fact that you don’t have to wake up to kids screaming for help with something—it already does something to a mom’s brain.”
Staycations to keep the love lit? Duly noted.
And, of course, they're never afraid to boast about their love on Instagram:
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As the Senior Editor of OprahMag.com, I'm a jack-of-all-trades, overseeing our entertainment coverage (we cover TV shows like The Politician and Big Brother, movies such as J.Lo's Hustlers and Lena Waithe's Queen and Slim), features, news items, and— as her number one fan—all of Lady Gaga's whereabouts. I proudly edit Coming Out, a series where LGBTQ+ change-makers reflect on self-acceptance. And I edit our Weird or Wellness series, which I highly recommend you read on the weekend. Prior to O, I began my career in the fashion department at Marie Claire, and eventually moved on to InStyle, where I dabbled in social media and covered events such as the Grammys, Toronto International Film Festival, and New York Fashion Week. A native of Miami, I received my journalism degree from the University of Miami. One time, Rosario Dawson complimented my hair and asked to touch it. I let her.
