Matthew McConaughey says being a dad was his ‘only dream’

Matthew McConaughey says fatherhood has always been his “only dream”.

The 50-year-old actor – who has appeared in the likes of ‘Dallas Buyers Club’, ‘Interstellar’ and ‘The Gentlemen’ over the years – admitted there is nothing “more important” to him than his family.

He told PEOPLE magazine: “The only thing I ever knew I wanted to be was a father. And it’s remained the pinnacle for me. Being a dad was always my dream … I can’t think of anything being more important.”

Matthew – who has Levi, 12, Vida, 10, and Livingston, eight, with his wife Camila Alves – has loved the journey of raising his children throughout the coronavirus pandemic and the challenges of lockdown.

He said: “They have doubled down on their hobbies, creative things and parts of themselves I don’t think they would have leaned into if they were back in school. One of the assets of this COVID quarantine is they’ve been forced to be more self-reliant. They’ve been forced to create their way out of boredom.”

The three kids have started to get into photography and other passions, and he joked his brood are “becoming a production crew”.

He added: “They’re becoming pretty good storytellers [too]. Our youngest one will come fill us in: ‘Oh, I’m on chapter two …’ Vida really likes to paint and draw and loves graphic novels… For Levi it’s probably more music. Basically he came out of the womb knowing a minor from major key on the piano.

“In the last six months, he really got into listening to composers, and he now can listen to a movie and tell you, ‘Oh, that’s Hans Zimmer,’ or ‘That’s John Williams,’ which is really cool.”

Meanwhile, Matthew – who set up the Just Keepin Livin’ Foundation in 2008 to give aid to students in need – previously opened up on making sure his own kids value philanthropy, as well as striving to give their brood “what they need” to grow into kind-hearted adults.

He explained: “Affluent people can give their kids everything they want but they’re not usually going to get what they need. Loving a child is a lot harder if you really give a damn. ‘No’ takes a lot more energy. It’s a lot easier to say ‘yes.’ ”