Matthew McConaughey has marked a major milestone in his family life, paying tribute to his son Levi as he turned 18 on Tuesday, 7 July.
The Dallas Buyers Club actor, 56, shared a photo on Instagram of himself and Levi standing together in a grassy area in Austin, Texas, both wearing matching button-down shirts and flashing the “Hook ’em Horns” hand sign, a nod to the University of Texas, where McConaughey himself went to college.
His caption was brief but warm: “18. That’s a # buddy. Enjoy and handle your new freedoms. @levimcconaughey.”
McConaughey shares Levi, Livingston, 13, and daughter Vida, 16, with his wife Camila Alves McConaughey, 43.
Fatherhood is clearly something he thinks about deeply.
In an April episode of Bear Grylls Is Running Wild, he spoke at length about what becoming a husband and father has meant to him, telling host Bear Grylls that he sees being a good parent as the greatest thing a man can do.
“I think a man’s a prince until he has children, then he becomes a king. I don’t think there’s anything more important that a man can do,” he said.
“Man, we’re mortal. That’s the beginning of our immortality, and hopefully, we’re lucky enough for them to have offspring, and it continues to pass that down. I think that’s the greatest art that a man can make is being a good father to a son or a daughter.”
He has also spoken about how parenthood has shaped his approach to his work.
Speaking to PEOPLE in April 2024, he said that having children “made me a better actor”, partly because explaining adult-themed projects to his kids required him to become a more inventive storyteller.
“I had to become a better storyteller to tell my kids about a good guy, a bad guy and a monster,” he said.
As for his parenting style, he has previously described himself as the more permissive of the two parents, the “yes guy”, while acknowledging that real love sometimes means the harder option.
“Sometimes loving your kids means giving them just what they want. Other times, it means tough love,” he told Town & Country in 2020.
“Loving a child is a lot harder if you really give a damn.”
Levi, meanwhile, is now officially an adult. His father’s advice: enjoy it, and handle it well.
