Matthew McConaughey put his son Levi’s dedication to the test before his acting debut in the upcoming film The Lost Bus.
McConaughey, 55, recently revealed a subtle parenting test he tried on his 17-year-old son and costar, Levi, before casting him in the same film.
“I always pitch what story I’m doing, what the movie’s about [to my family],” McConaughey told People Magazine, referring to his wife Camila Alves McConaughy and their three kids: Levi, daughter Vida, 15, and son Livingston, 12.
“I pitched it and it got to the part where my character had a son and Levi goes, “Well, how old’s the son? Turns out the role was his exact age and hadn’t been cast yet.”
“And then I was like, ‘Could I read for it?'” Levi cut in, who was present during the interview. “And you were like, ‘Yeah.'”
McConaughey continued, “And then I didn’t bring it up again” to which Levi further elaborated, “I had to badger him.”
Levi “came back three more times after that to go, “Well, can I read for it?” Matthew recalled, turning to his son. “And I wanted to test and see how much you wanted to read for this thing, right?”
At last, McConaughey picked up the camera. “We shot a couple of takes, and I thought, ‘Okay, the guy can hold a frame.’”
McConaughey also tested his son’s acting skills by withholding the last name at the time of submission. Levi landed the role on his own merit.
McConaughey’s 93-year-old mom, Kay, who once cameoed in Bernie, also plays his onscreen mother.
The Lost Bus premieres Oct. 3 on Apple TV+. Meanwhile, Levi is already onto his next project, Way of the Warrior Kid, opposite Chris Pratt.
However, the teen isn’t rushing into a full-time career just yet. “This role wasn’t me deciding, ‘Oh, I’m going to become an actor,’” he explained. “It was me saying, ‘I’m really interested in this.’”
