Matthew McConaughey says true story The Lost Bus shows our relationship with nature is “out of whack in dangerous ways”

Kevin, your character in The Lost Bus, is an unlikely saviour. What’s your definition of a hero?

There were a lot of heroic people and heroic acts at the time of this fire. Whatever that crisis is, heroes will run to it instead of away.

What’s the biggest difference between playing a real person and a fictional one?

With a fictional character, you can go to your imagination quicker. When you’re doing something that’s based on, or inspired by, actual events, I always want to go to reality, what really happened, and see what inspiration there is before I let my imagination go.

You are acting alongside your son Levi and your mother Kay, playing your on-screen son and mother. How was it blurring those lines between fact and fiction?

Because my relationship [with Levi] is a healthy one in real life, it made it easier to play a relationship that’s not healthy. And Mama didn’t find anything challenging about acting with her grandson and her son. She just wanted more camera time!

As a parent, what’s your number-one rule?

Being delighted in who your kids are – just what they are, nothing else. Not how good they are at something. A pastor friend of mine said in church, if a child knows they’re loved at home they’ll be less afraid to fail outside. It’s a very good rule. And I’d be remiss to not admit that ability, comfort, significance in my own home has something to do with the work I’m doing, the way I feel like flying higher and further.

Were you well behaved when you were a kid?

I was very good at getting away with stuff! But I did get caught a few times. The last thing you’d want to do in my family was lie. Don’t lie to Mom and Dad – because if you got caught, you’d get in more trouble for the lie than the deed!

While we’re looking back, there’s a sad scene in The Lost Bus where Kevin puts down his dog. Could you relate to that?

Oh! I mean, regretfully, I’ve had to do that three, four times in my life. And it’s a horrible day and a horrible thing to have to do, even if it’s the best thing for the dog. You don’t forget that feeling. I remember when I had to put down my last dog, we went to the drive-thru and got him a cheeseburger first, for his last meal. He was happy about it. It’s just so damn sad. They’re sitting there looking at you. And then I’ve had a couple dogs that were looking at me, going: ‘I’m ready…’ Oh, man.

The Lost Bus deals with the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, which were the deadliest wildfires in Californian history. What with those and the deadly fires that swept through Hollywood in January, have your thoughts turned to the state of the planet?

It’s a delicate balance as civilisation takes over Mother Nature and the wild. We overcompensate sometimes and throw it out of that balance – and usually Mother Nature, through some way, will let us know. We’re out of whack right now. And like with this film, that relationship that mankind has [with our environment] is out of whack in dangerous ways.

You’ve talked about running for Governor of Texas in the past. Is that still on the cards?

Lets talk about the movie! I’m not gonna talk any politics right now.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt in your career?

I learned to love the craft. I mean, I liked what I was doing in the beginning, but I didn’t actually know what I was doing. I had instincts when I first started, 30-whatever years ago. Then after about eight years, I started to learn the craft of acting. When I did that, I started learning how to love it. I started to learn what to do if I got in trouble, if I got in a funk, if I was stuck. And then I learned how to break down characters, and that took 25, 30 years. But I’ve got a good basis now.

So, what’s next?

Now I always want to go and have an experience, a personal experience when I’m taking on a role. And these days, when I want to go act, I do feel like that’s happening.

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