Matthew McConaughey recently shared the words of wisdom he gives his 17-year-old son Levi. The young actor recently made his on-screen debut, appearing alongside his father in Paul Greengrass’ survival thriller, The Lost Bus. In the movie, Levi McConaughey plays The Gentlemen actor’s son.
Matthew McConaughey on what he told son Levi about nepotism
Speaking with Willie Geist on the October 12 episode of Today’s Sunday Sitdown, Matthew McConaughey opened up about teaching his son Levi about nepotism.
“There was an extra sort of soul to it for me. It felt very professional doing it with him, though. I said, ‘I can help coach you, I can help teach you what I can. But once we show up on the day, I’m not there as a safety net.’ And he showed up,” the Oscar-winning star shared.
“He was not looking at me to go, ‘Hey, is it okay? How’d I do?’ He worked with the director, and I sat back as a proud dad, going, ‘There we go,’ ” he added.
When Geist asked if Levi is eyeing a career in acting, the Interstellar star said that his son is “leaning into it.” McConaughey revealed that he and his wife Camila, make sure that Levi stays grounded. “I’m not putting that pressure on him either way, but he’s off to a great start. He’s in the door. As far as nepotism goes for me, Camila and I always say, ‘Don’t you ever feel entitled,’ ” he said.
McConaughey also shared the story of how Levi got the part in The Lost Bus. “When he read for this role, he sent it to the casting director, and she said, ‘I think it’s good enough to send to the director.’ And I went, ‘Pull his last name.’ And the director saw it and said, ‘That’s the kid.’ So he got it on his own merit,” the star recalled.
The Lost Bus is a survival drama film featuring Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera. It tells the real-life story of a school bus driver who saved numerous children during a deadly wildfire in California. The movie made its streaming debut on October 3, 2025, on Apple TV+.
Originally reported by Namrata Ghosh on Mandatory.
