Matthew McConaughey has shared a birthday tribute for his daughter Vida, but fans can’t get over how much she looks like her mother, Camila Alves.
The 54-year-old actor took to Instagram on 4 January to wish his 14-year-old daughter a happy belated birthday. “To Vida, who never passed a flower she didn’t pick, Happy Birthday,” McConaughey captioned his post, which featured an image of Vida standing in a field of tall, green grass. In the second photo, she was seen sitting outside while wearing pink and blue tie-dye sweatpants and a flannel shirt.
The True Detective star noted in his caption that his birthday tribute came a day late because he dropped his phone while riding a rollercoaster. “A day late because my mobile device flew out of my pocket on the roller coaster loop at her birthday yesterday!” McConaughey said.
While many fans rushed to the comments to wish Vida a happy birthday, a majority of Instagram followers couldn’t help but notice the striking resemblance between the teenager and Alves, 40.
“God does she look like her mama,” one fan commented.
“His genes didn’t stand a chance!” another user jokingly said.
“She’s a copy of Camila,” a third person wrote.
The Texas native and the Brazilian model share three children together. The Hollywood couple were married in 2012 after meeting at a Los Angeles nightclub in 2006. They welcomed their first child, son Levi, in 2008, and their daughter Vida in 2010. Two years later, Alves gave birth to their third child, son Livingston.
Being the parents to two teenagers, McConaughey and Alves have often spoken about their approach to parenting. In an interview with E! News last September, the Interstellar star opened up about how his parenting philosophy of “just because” came from spending time with his children during the Covid-19 lockdown.
“You start to see and make sense of the world through the lens of having children,” he told the outlet. “And evidently I have some dreams through that lens as well.”
As their children get older, McConaughey and Alves said they are also gearing up to have the “sex talk”.
“We’re starting those discussions, and I think they come with the teen years,” the Dallas Buyers Club star said. “I’m heady on that one. I’ve got that, because I’ve talked to a lot of my other friends, mothers and fathers that are at that same time with their children.”
“They’re like: ‘What do you say? What do you? Where do you go?’” he continued. “And there’s not, that I know of, many safe, cool places to go to have those essential talks about one’s body, about one’s attraction to another, about what a first kiss is like.”
While the couple is hands-on with their children, McConaughey noted that they also prioritise their children’s need for space. “We’re trying to maintain access to them and their life,” he said. “Every child needs that. Every child needs a journal or a diary that they can trust. ‘Mom and Dad aren’t going through that, that’s mine, and [they’re] not sharing everything with us.’”
Not only are McConaughey and Alves teaching their children lessons about life, but the couple acknowledged certain things they’ve learned from their children. “Levi continues to teach me consideration,” McConaughey said. “He’s an extremely considerate young man and I appreciate that about him.”
Vida, the “peacemaker”, allows him to learn the importance of “forgiveness” while Livingston reminds him “of the power of absolute singular focus.”
“When he’s got a project, whether it’s a sport or homework or drawing, he zeroes in and the rest of the world is gone,” the father said.
