Actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife, Camila Alves McConaughey, have opened up about their decision to leave behind the beach city of Malibu, California, in favor of Austin, Texas, a decade ago.
They wed in 2012 after six years of dating and share three children, Levi, 15, Vida, 14, and Livingston, 11.
Despite building a “beautiful house” and “living a happy life in Malibu,” the family decided to temporarily relocate to Austin so that Mr. McConaughey, now 54, could be closer to his mother and his two brothers amid a family emergency.
After staying for several weeks, Mrs. Alves McConaughey, now 42, saw a noticeable shift in her husband, marked by a lighter spirit and overall happier countenance. The couple decided to make the move permanent in 2014.
The actor, known for several hit films including “Interstellar” and “The Wolf of Wall Street,” reflected on the change of pace he experienced since leaving Los Angeles County’s urban jungle. “Time slowed down,” Mr. McConaughey told the publication. “The clock was right, the body clock.”
“And part of that is ritual; part of that is just the distance between places and the way people move,” he continued. “But it’s also the hospitality, the courtesy, the common sense, the lack of drama.”
Finding Ritual in Texas
Texas was hardly new territory for Mr. McConaughey. The actor was raised in Longview, a city nestled in East Texas. In addition to his work on the big screen, he also teaches film production at the University of Texas, where he graduated in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in radio, television, and film, according to the school.Mr. McConaughey admitted that it was harder for his wife, born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, to adjust to their new life in the Lone Star State. However, she eventually found herself feeling more content in Texas, too.
In particular, the model and designer reveled in the old-world traditions and values widely embraced throughout the state, which she said reminded her of her childhood in South America.
“It takes me right back to how I was raised,” she offered, sharing her husband’s sentiment that their family now enjoyed going to church every Sunday and that sports had become “a stronger tradition” with their kids.
Celebrities Flock to Texas
The McConaugheys aren’t the only celebrities to flee the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles for a simpler way of life in Texas.“Entourage” star Adrian Grenier left Hollywood behind in 2020, relocating to the small town of Bastrop, which is about an hour southeast of Austin. There, he and his wife, Jordan Roemmele, live on a homestead called Kintsugi Ranch with their son, Seiko Aurelius.
“I'd been stepping on concrete my whole life, separated from the earth,” he continued. “Here and now, I feel so much more centered and balanced.”
Fellow actor James Van Der Beek, star of “Dawson’s Creek,” and comedian Joe Rogan also made the move to Texas in 2020. The latter, who departed California after living in the state for three decades, attributed his move to his frustrations with the state’s restrictive coronavirus policies.
Mr. Van Der Beek—who shares six children with his wife, Kimberly—noted that he and his family are now able to have “a better connection to nature,” per Good Morning America.
Scott Eastwood—son of veteran actor and director Clint Eastwood—revealed in a post published to Instagram in June 2018 that he had “said goodbye to California and moved to Texas,” noting that he “couldn’t take the crowds anymore.”
“I think that’s why people who come to Texas really can fall in love with it,” he shared. “There’s more community, people are more neighborly, people are nice.”
“It slows life down a little bit,” he continued. “It’s not this fast-paced living in a big city like New York or Los Angeles.”
