Matthew McConaughey, Camila Alves share how they keep their family unit strong
Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves recently opened up about their family life in their first-ever joint podcast interview.
The couple, who married in 2012, joined host Michele Norris on the latest episode of the "Your Mama's Kitchen" podcast and discussed, among other things, how food and mealtime is one of the things that binds them and their three children together.
Alves shared that it was "very important" for her to always have the family in the same place, even if that means traveling with McConaughey when he's filming a new project.
"It wasn't a conversation, it was a 'If you go, we go,' and I very intelligently nodded my head. 'Yes ma'am,'" the Oscar-winning actor said. "It was one of the coolest decisions we made and took about six seconds to make."
McConaughey added that his wife "sacrifices a lot to make sure that that happened without negotiation in our life."
Alves went on to explain that when McConaughey is working, the goal is for him to still be able to share a meal with the family -- no matter which one it is.
"It's the idea that we can continue no matter what," she said. "Be a family unit."
The pair also detailed how "everybody's got a job" in the kitchen, even their children, and one way they make it fun is by letting everyone have a turn at the record player.
"By the time the kids come in, we go from all kinds of different genres and music," Alves said.
McConaughey added, "Last night we were in the kitchen with Chris Stapleton and Biggie Smalls on back to back."
How they settle arguments
Norris also prompted McConaughey and Alves to share how they de-escalate arguments at home.
"Pour another glass of tequila?" Alves said, which McConaughey called a "helpful" tactic before getting more serious.
"Go and get something sweet. A sweet food. It can de-escalate some things, even if it's a nice piece of chocolate or some ice cream, it can de-escalate," he said. "I've never been a big sweet eater. Maybe that's why that milkshake on Sunday night meant so much. It was the grace part."
The "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" star explained how they've had dinners where "the food was tasting great and the conversation maybe turned to a bend in the road where all of a sudden we were butting heads on something."
"That never happened," Alves joked.
McConaughey said a simple act of service for the other person is enough to bring "an invisible dissipation to the disagreement," whether that be Alves making him tea in the morning or him making her steak sushi.
Alves chimed in, saying, "Trust me ladies, some mornings I do not want to serve that tea."
"But she still will make it for me anyway. That's the difference," McConaughey said, reasoning that he's not going to resort to "pulling the parachute" on a marriage over a disagreement the way you might when you're just dating someone.
"This is part of 'I'm going to work through this,'" he said. "I'm still going to serve my man his tea. I'm still going to serve my lady my steak sushi because I know she loves it, even though we may be in a disagreement."
