Matthew McConaughey has had plenty of success in his film career and as a published author. His marriage to Brazilian model Camila Alves has also proven to be a great success as they've been married for 11 years, and together for 17. Now, McConaughey has candidly opened up about their marriage and how people constantly change over time.
With so many celebrity breakups that have been happening this year, it’s always a breath of fresh air to hear that a longstanding couple is still going strong. While promoting his new children’s book Just Because, ET Canada's Cheryl Hickey mentioned hitting the 15-year mark on her marriage which made McConaughey look back on his, he said:
Well 15, you’re in. I mean, you know, you kinda know who the other is. I think the challenge as we go on in relationships is realizing and accepting that individually, we still change.
Those words couldn’t ring more true. As people, we grow and change all the time. The key, as McConaughey said, is learning to accept those changes as they come. According to People, the Oscar winner met his wife, Camila Alves, at the West Hollywood nightclub Hyde in 2006, and they instantly connected. He said as soon as he saw her, he knew he didn’t want to be with any other woman. Three nights later, these two had their first official date. Before marriage, the couple made numerous red-carpet appearances and had two children together- a son Levi, 15, and a daughter Vida, 13.
Then, the Dazed and Confused actor proposed to Camila Alves on Christmas in 2011 with an engagement ring hidden in boxes of different sizes so she wouldn’t see the surprise coming. Believe it or not, Alves didn’t immediately say yes to his proposal. But, McConaughey was determined to make this woman his wife, and he told her he’d continue standing on one knee until she agreed. She eventually conceded and they tied the knot in Houston, Texas on June 9, 2012. A month later, the newly wedded couple announced they were expecting a third child. Their son, Livingston, came into the world in December 2012.
As Matthew McConaughey mentioned before, a growing challenge that comes with marriage is dealing with the changes people go through. He continued to tell ET what he meant by this, saying:
We’re essentially who we are, but individually certain things become… personally, our priority list changes, our value list changes. We want to try new things. Or maybe we want to do something we used to do twice as much. And sometimes you’re like, we have to measure, is that change in my partner something that I believe is essentially them and I need to adapt with them, or is it something that I’m going, ‘This is not them, this is not a good way to go. Do I need to intercept?’ and go, ‘Please don’t do that.'
It can be a struggle to know what changes you’re willing to accept in a person and which ones you feel cannot be ignored. McConaughey made it very clear that he and his wife are not the same people they were when they first met 17 years ago. However, the Fool’s Gold actor offered up advice on how he’s made those changes in marriage work, saying:
I think that’s always a good question as parents and as couples, asking, ‘As much as we’re changing, is our moral bottom line where it was when we fell in love with each other and why we started a family? Is it the same spot? I know things are changing, the world is changing, and we’re changing. But our moral bottom line?’ Do we still agree on that? Because that’s a good base, I think, to go to. And if that’s steady, then all these other things can change and we can kind of go along with it because we know we’re not going to break the code of our bottom line.
After 17 years of being in each other's lives, it seems to me like Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves have a good thing going, and they are always working to be a great couple. One change they both made together was not to live in Hollywood anymore, and they currently reside in Texas with their three children. Many couples can learn from this duo about how to adapt to changes and grow with each other over time. I wish them the very best as they continue to evolve with each other and their children.
McConaughey’s children’s book Just Because is available to purchase in bookstores and on Amazon. The actor also has two projects in the works, so make sure to keep up to date with the 2023 movie schedule so you know when they're coming.
