Matthew McConaughey’s family, film career intertwine in true-life tale

At Casa McConaughey, the resident Oscar winner, his wife, Camila Alves, and their three children have vigorous debates on everything: vacation destinations, dinner ideas, Dad’s latest film role.

“We say to the kids assembled in the living room, ‘You got 10 minutes,’” 55-year-old actor Matthew McConaughey says of their spirited discussions.

“I pitched this film to my family like I do with everything,” he continues, after a screening of his new picture “The Lost Bus” at the Toronto Film Festival.

Oldest son Levi, 17, had a quick question: “How old is this kid who plays your son. And can I read for it?”

For once in his life, McConaughey was flustered. “I didn’t say anything. Not a yes. Not a no,” he shares. “No answer. So, my son came at me four more times. My thing is: You don’t get it. You have to work for it in life. And the more he asked me to read, I thought, ‘OK, now he’s really working for it.’”

He pulled out a camera and worked out a scene with Levi. Then he submitted it to the casting director who called and said, ‘I think he might be good enough to show Paul,’” McConaughey says, referring to director Paul Greengrass (“The Bourne Identity”).

“I said, ‘Do me a favor. Pull the last name,’” he adds. “The next thing I knew, Paul calls and says, ‘That’s the son.’ I said, ‘He happens to really be my son.’ Paul responded with a quick ‘Even better.’”

Both McConaugheys star, with America Ferrara, in “The Lost Bus,” in theaters this weekend and streaming on Apple TV+ starting Oct. 3. (Adding to the family affair, McConaughey’s mom, Kay, plays his mother in the film.)

The thriller revolves around the true-life heroes of the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California. McConaughey plays bus driver Kevin McKay, who must drive 20 kids and their teacher through raging flames to safety. He’s also worried about his own teenage son, Shaun, who is stuck in the disaster.

McConaughey lives in Austin, Texas, with Camila, Levi, 15-year-old Vida and 12-year-old Livingston. His good life advice:

Real responsibility

He didn’t take portraying McKay lightly. “Kevin and I spoke a few times going into this movie since it was inspired by real events,” McConaughey says. “As an actor, you come into something like this with a little more reverence and responsibility. We weren’t doing a documentary, but the events are pretty much what happened. … This is a father-and-son story, too. I love the line: ‘I am too late as a son and now I’m late as a father.’ It’s a story about second chances.”

Dangerous route

McConaughey actually drove the bus in the movie, which wasn’t easy. “We had some major-sized flames on the set,” he says. “It really was a dance of walking through the scene first and saying, ‘OK, I go right here and then the fire explodes.’ My heart was pumping.”

Words matter

There is a scene in “The Lost Bus” in which McConaughey’s screen son screams at his dad, “I hate you! I wish you were dead!” Critics have lauded McConaughey’s reaction of pure devastation. “It was uncomfortable for us as a real father-son to do that scene,” he shares. “I cannot imagine those words coming out of the mouth of my son Levi. We have a wonderful relationship. But it goes to show that what you say can really hurt. That moment on screen, however, means the hugs are a little longer now with Levi.”

Family is everything

“Being a dad was the only thing I ever knew my entire life that I wanted,” McConaughey says. “It’s the pinnacle for me now and always. I can’t think of anything more important.”

Love and devotion

“We just get each other,” he says of his wife. “There is no ego because we understand where we came from. I feel so safe in her hands, too. And we’re always looking for something else to do together.”

Yes, he is the romantic type. He proposed at Christmas by making her wait to open her last gift, which was McConaughey on one knee.

A great date night? “It involves food I’m cooking,” he says. “The later the food comes out the better because you can just talk and enjoy the moment.”

Get moving

McConaughey says he stays in good shape by getting outdoors often. “It’s about getting out there and enjoying the fresh air and feeling good,” he says. “I try to do something physical as often as possible. I love to just run down a beach.”

See it through

“Do it and come out the other side,” he says. “Don’t leave something unfinished and go, ‘If I just would have …’ Going all the way allows you to sleep at night.”

‘Turn the page’

“Get to know yourself,” McConaughey says, offering a bit of life advice. “Knowing who you are is hard. It begins with knowing who you aren’t. Only then you will figure out who you really are in life. … You are the author of the book of your own life. If you don’t like where you are, simply turn the page.”