Matthew McConaughey says he felt “connected” to his homeland when he left Hollywood for Texas

Matthew McConaughey talks about “the ebb and flow” of life in Austin after leaving Los Angeles.

During the November 20th episode Lots of trouble with Nick Kyrgios On the podcast, tennis pro Nick Kyrgios told the 55-year-old actor that he seems to be the type of guy who never forgets his roots or loses his pride in his hometown. Kyrgios, 29, then asked McConaughey, “What does Texas really mean to you?”

“For me, home is where a mile feels like a mile. An hour feels like 60 minutes,” replied the Oscar-winning actor. “(When) I’m working and I’m really busy, I understand in advance currently. I understand going on vacation to enjoy the Bahamas or something behind (To) Time.”

He continues: “At home, I feel like I’m on time in relationships and at work – my pace, my flow through life, it feels like I’m on time.”

McConaughey, who spent the early years of his career in Hollywood and starred in successful romantic comedies such as: The wedding planner, How to lose a man in 10 days, Error startingAnd Fool’s goldIn 2014, he moved back to his home state with his wife Camila Alves McConaughey.

There he told Kyrgios that he had made a pact with his wife that they would stay until he was offered more roles that didn’t class him as a rom-com type. “‘I’m not going back to work unless I’m offered roles that I want to do,'” he recalled telling her.

But although he was eventually offered good roles in other genres, including his Oscar-winning performance in Dallas Buyers ClubSince then, the couple has stayed in Texas and now has three children together: sons Levi (16) and Livingston (11) and daughter Vida (14).

To use one of McConaughey’s favorite one-liners, everything seems to be “fine, fine, fine” in Texas for the actor – and he’s balanced and at peace. This also applies to relations with his neighbors, even if, in his opinion, the political landscape in the southern state is often divisive.

“I live in Austin, a liberal city in a very conservative state. I like that push and pull,” he told Kyrgios. “I like the structure of red around the freedom of blue. So, Texas blueberry tomato soup, I like that.”

Although McConaughey and his family have deep roots in Texas, that won’t stop him from traveling the world. “Many Texans are very attached to their homeland,” the actor said. “But for us it’s: ‘Get out, go away, use your passport, boy. Go travel, come back and tell us some stories.’ ”