Levi McConaughey has stepped into the spotlight and revealed the acting advice his father, Matthew McConaughey, shared with him ahead of his first film.
On Monday, March 10, at the premiere of his father’s new movie, The Rivals of Amziah King, at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, the 16-year-old budding actor gave his first red carpet interview.
Conversing with PEOPLE, Levi discussed his first acting role in the coming-of-age movie Way of the Warrior Kid (2024).
When asked if his dad gave him any advice, Levi said the Interstellar star “gave me a lot of advice, and he was able to mentor me in a couple different ways.”
“But I’d say the main thing for acting, and pardon my French, is no b***** in your bones and own what you’re doing and make a choice regardless if that ends up being the right one or the wrong one — commit to it and know what you’re saying,” he added.
Matthew also shed light on the advice he gave his son, quipping, “One, you’ve got a natural ability. Two, how do we get specific about knowing where you’re coming from and where you’re going?”
The True Detective actor went on to mention that “best acting for my money is when an actor’s caught in action, doing something. Meaning, where were you before, and where are you going after, if the camera is rolling the whole time. So you come into the scene, so the scene doesn’t feel like a fresh start and a fresh ending.”
He continued, “The other thing is, take risks. Don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself – I did it plenty of times, and it’s a lot easier to go big and come back down to reality than it is to come in under and push it to more energy later.”
“It’s a lot easier to go big, make a fool of yourself, get embarrassed, and then bring it down to reality than it is to start with low energy and go, hey, we need more,” Mattthew stated.
For the unversed, it is pertinent to mention that The Rivals of Amziah King is currently in cinemas, as it was released on March 10, 2025.