Matthew McConaughey’s Candid Take on Son Levi Benefiting From Nepotism
Matthew McConaughey is weighing in on the “nepo baby” debate.
The Oscar winner, who stars alongside his 17-year-old son Levi McConaughey in the upcoming Apple TV+ drama The Lost Bus, shared his thoughts on the hot-button topic amid his firstborn’s foray into Hollywood.
“There’s a line between entitlement and shame,” he said in an interview with People published Sept. 24. “If you can look it right in the eye and deal with it, and if it works out, you’ll see, [acting is] a hell of a roller coaster.”
The How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days star—who shares Levi as well as Vida, 15, and Livingston, 12, with wife Camila Alves—went on to note that he’s “tried to give [Levi] some tips” for navigating show business at the same time as allowing him to blaze his own trail.
“It’s hard to keep your feet on the ground to sift out the real stuff from the BS. But over time you’ve got to get that sixth sense,” Matthew, 55, explained. “It’s important that he has his own ownership of who he is and becomes. And [acting] will be a part of that if he continues to do it, part of finding his identity, but it can’t be his full identity.”
Of course, there’s no denying the link between Levi’s identity and his recognizable last name. And while the teen admitted that he was “just starting” to feel pressure as a result of his dad’s success, he also acknowledged his own role in shaping his destiny.
“As much as people can say, ‘You got this because of your father or your mother,’” Levi told the outlet, “they can open the door, but then it’s going to be up to me to do my thing once I get in there. That’s on me.”
Matthew’s support for his son’s career ambitions is a notable shift from his previous stance on the matter. In fact, the actor shared that he was strongly opposed to making acting a family business until he had kids of his own.
“When I hit about 40, right about the time we had Levi, I looked around at how many special people I’ve met in my life, how much travel and what an awesome, healthy, cool experience that’s been for me in my life,” he told People. “I was like, ‘Where are you coming up with this idea you don’t want any of your kids to do it?’ It’d be a privilege if they would be able to.”
To see more celebrity kids who bear an uncanny resemblance to their parents, keep reading.
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