Matthew McConaughey Says His Mom, 'Ma Mac,' Is Still 'Kicking Ass' at 91: 'She Does Not Stress'

Matthew McConaughey is reflecting on the lessons he’s learned from his mother Kay.

“She’s 91 and obviously kicking ass,” the actor said of his mother, who his family affectionately refers to as “Ma Mac,” in a new interview for Southern Living's South's Best Issue.

Kay’s years of ass-kicking can be attributed to “many reasons,” Matthew, 54, added. “One is her optimism: it’s not delusional, it is survival. The answer is ‘yes,’ that’s the word she lives off of.”

The Oscar winner added that his mother “does not stress.”

“Oh my gosh. I’ve never seen someone forgive themself quicker than Ma Mac,” he said, a philosophy that extends to others as well. “No grudges. You do not go to bed with any kind of grudge on anyone else, or yourself. That’s Ma Mac.”

His wife, Camila Alves McConaughey, agreed. “A big part of that [forgiveness] is this philosophy that she has of ‘turn the page,’” Camila, 41, said of her mother-in-law. “I have learned big time with her.”

Of the Texas-based couple’s three children — Levi, Vida and Livingston — Camila added that their grandmother “taught that to our kids as well.”

“You get in trouble, you did something wrong, learn from it, handle it and turn the page.”

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In their Southern Living interview, Matthew noted that “in three-generation homes, the kids live longer, parents live longer and the grandparent lives longer.”

The True Detective star also reflected on his childhood in Texas alongside older brothers Michael and Patrick. “My mom raised us on, ‘Don’t watch somebody do what you can go out and do for yourself. Get out there and go do it. Go find out, go win, go lose.’ "

“I don’t think that’s particular to how I was raised, I think there is something in the Southern ethos that’s synonymous with that here,” he said. 

Matthew and the Brazil-born Camila, who have been married since 2012, also shared their household’s favorite dishes and drinks, including honey chicken, stroganoff and margaritas.

The two jointly own the brand Pantalones Organic Tequila, the advertisements of which feature them pantsless and riding motorcycles in an agave field.

This isn’t the first time the couple have expressed gratitude for Kay’s wisdom. As part of a recent campaign called "My Favorite Teacher,” Matthew called his mother his favorite, “inside the classroom and out.” 

Camila wrote of her mother-in-law that she felt “blessed and grateful to have her in my life” in an Instagram post last Thanksgiving. “Take a break and take a moment to really think in your life what you're grateful for and how you can help others," Camila said in the video. 

She then asked “Ma Mac” what she’s grateful for. “No. 1, I'm grateful that I have [my] sons and their spouses and my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren and they're all healthy. That's the main thing — they're all healthy, and I'm very healthy," Kay said at the time.