Matthew McConaughey spent time in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas, on Friday to mark the somber occasion of the second anniversary of the school shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
The Dallas Buyers Club star, 54, shared a photo on Instagram of himself with his wife Camila Alves and their children Levi, 15, Vida, 14, and Livingston, 11.
People gathered to pay tribute to the children and teachers of Robb Elementary School, holding hands and standing solemnly in a circle.
‘Two years ago, Uvalde was faced with an unimaginable tragedy. Today, let us remember the victims and their families, what we have all learned, and continue to do what we can not to have any more of these memories. #maketheirlivesmatter #uvalde,” he captioned the post.
The Oscar winner – who promotes his and Alves’ tequila in cheeky ads – has been actively involved in his hometown since the shooting.
Matthew McConaughey spent time in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas, today to mark the second anniversary of the school shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
When the shooting happened in 2022, McConaughey had one instinct: go to Uvalde.
‘I was working in the studio all day. So I came out and my phone was blown up. I watched the news,” he said People at the time, describing the 40 seconds after hearing the news.
‘There was a message from Camila, so I called her back straight away. Being in shock, I was a little immobilized, and she said it before I could, “We have to go.” And I thought, “Yes, we’ll do that.”‘
McConaughey grew up in Uvalde with his brothers in a house on the town’s main street with a pecan tree in the yard.
It was the first house that his mother, Kim, a teacher, and father, Jim, an oil pipe salesman, bought together.
They were there in the hours and days after it had just happened, when bodies had not yet been identified, families were in limbo, and the entire city was in pain and shock that quickly turned to grief.
“When we went to Uvalde, neither of us knew where or how we would be needed most, but once we arrived it became clear that our connection was with the families – and especially Camila with the mothers,” the How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days actor said.
“She became a support system for them, and even now, long after we’ve left, she still maintains that support when needed.
“There was a connection there between her and the families that was different than what they needed from me. . . . When a need is clear, as in this case, her commitment to serving and being a trusted teammate is unquestionable,” he said.
The whole family had a night out at a benefit to raise money for children’s education, healthcare and welfare at the Mack, Jack & McConaughey event
They promoted the tequila with pantsless photos while dressed for croquet
And after meeting with the families of the Uvalde tragedy, one thing became clear: They didn’t want to hear, “I’m sorry.”
‘During the first meetings we said: ‘What did you like most about your child? What did he or she enjoy doing most?’ And everyone lit up, and they smiled, and then they laughed. They just came to life.
And I realized that they were not so much mourning the death of their child, but just trying to keep the life force in their lives. [child’s] dreams, the memory of that person, alive. [It was],” he explained.
“I just want their lives to matter. I just want their loss to matter.” And after a few days of these conversations, it became clear that we still had more to do [and] were still on their way,” McConaughey said.