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Matthew McConaughey's wife Camila says he's a 'disciplined' dad

The kids are "alright, alright, alright."
2018 Toronto International Film Festival - "White Boy Rick" Premiere
Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves attend the "White Boy Rick" premiere during 2018 Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 7, 2018 in Toronto.GP Images / Getty Images
/ Source: TODAY

Matthew McConaughey may seem laid-back but his wife told TODAY in an exclusive interview that he takes his parenting duties very seriously.

Camila Alves, 39, explained that the Oscar-winning actor is far from what many may suspect he would be as a father. McConaughey is “actually very disciplined and very hands-on," she said.

The Brazilian-American model, who spoke with TODAY to promote her partnership with Veuve Clicquot Champagne, detailed how his discipline affects his work ethic.

“He is chill and laid back, but he's also, he has a very disciplined mentality, right?" she said. "Like, that's how he's been able to do the work he's done and accomplish what he does.”

Despite his fame, the “Dallas Buyers Club” star is no different than other parents, Alves noted.

“It’s just like raising kids with, you know, as any family would do. It’s got its challenges and its blessings, but I would say it's fun.”

2019 Texas Medal of Arts - Arrivals
From left to right: Livingston Alves McConaughey, Camila Alves, Levi Alves McConaughey, Matthew McConaughey, Vida Alves McConaughey, and Kay McConaughey attend the 2019 Texas Medal Of Arts Awards on Feb. 27, 2019 in Austin, Texas.Rick Kern / WireImage

The famous couple welcomed their first child, Levi, in July of 2008. Then, in January of 2010, the couple welcomed their second child, a girl named Vida. Their third child, a boy named Livingston, was born in December 2012.

Alves and McConaughey, who first met at a bar back in 2006, tied the knot in January of 2012.

Thirteen years since the birth of their first child, Alves told TODAY that with more time on their hands, they are constantly trying to “find ways to create special occasions and special celebrations with each other.”

Alves, in promoting Veuve Clicquot Champagne, said she even threw a "special occasion" picnic with the bubbly recently to celebrate a big event but couldn't elaborate what exactly they were celebrating.

"It was a big accomplishment on something I've been working on it for a long time," she said, mysteriously. "So, the whole family got together to celebrate that."

In a 2020 interview with TODAY, McConaughey told TODAY's Willie Geist that he intentionally is bringing his kids up differently than how he was raised.

"I don't raise my children the same way my parents raised me ... but I don't dare judge how my parents did it because every single time I got in trouble or got the belt or whatever, I earned it," he said.

McConaughey opened up about his "bloody, ugly, sometimes violent" childhood in his memoir, "Greenlights."

"I choose in our family to have much more dialogue than my parents choose or their parents choose," the actor told Willie at the time. "My wife and I do a little more explaining. 'OK, let's debate this out.' ... And even today, my mom goes, 'Geez, y'all talk about it too much.'"