Matthew McConaughey reveals ‘pact’ he made with his wife after leaving Hollywood

While many celebrity marriages might not last the distance, some people have found unique ways to make theirs work for the long run.

Matthew McConaughey, 55, met his now-wife Camila Alves, 41, back in 2006, getting engaged five years later and eventually tying the knot in 2011.

They went on to have three kids together, the eldest of which is now 16, while their youngest turns 12 next month.

Of course, juggling family life with a Hollywood career is no easy feat, especially now that the children are in teenage territory.

But it sounds like they’ve managed to find a unique approach to finding the balance.

McConaughey noticeably cut back on his high-profile roles, leading to something of a fluctuating career in recent years – something that turns out to be entirely on purpose.

Matthew McConaughey with wife Camila Alves (Lionel Hahn/Getty Images)

Speaking to tennis pro Nick Kyrgios in the latest episode of his Good Trouble podcast, the actor explained how he’s been able to remain true to himself over the years, saying: "Look, man, the devil's in the infinite yeses, not the nos.

"No, it's just as important, if not more important. Especially if you have some level of success and access. No becomes more important than yes.”

“I mean, we all look around and see we've overleveraged our life with yeses and go, ‘Geez, oh, man, I'm making C minuses and all that s**t in my life because I said yes to too many things.’ I have many times in my life where I’m going through autopilot."

This is exactly what prompted a specific agreement between McConaughey and Alves, after he realised that his ‘lane’ was romantic comedies.

Despite the fact it paid well, it meant he ended up being typecast and missing out on other roles.

McConaughey with Kate Hudson in rom-com How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (Paramount)

“Hollywood said 'No, no, no, no, you should stay there, stay there,’” McConaughey said, adding that he ‘didn’t want to’.

Instead, he decided to take control and move down to his family’s ranch in Texas, giving himself the time and space to only say yes to the right projects.

Speaking about the pact he made with his wife, McConaughey said he agreed: “‘I'm not going back to work unless I get offered roles I want to do.'”

While there were two ‘wobbly’ years, Alves later became pregnant with their first child, Levi.

"So there was purpose coming to look forward to,” the dad-of-three said.

“But I was still like, ‘Man's gotta work.’ Making chimes and working in the garden wasn't cutting it.”

So committed he was to the change of tactic, that he even turned down an action comedy for $14.5 million.

"I think that's what made Hollywood go, 'You know what? He's now a new novel idea. He's a new bright idea,'” McConaughey said.