Glen Powell Says Matthew McConaughey’s Advice Convinced Him to Leave Hollywood and Move Home to Texas

Glen Powell is open about his decision to leave Los Angeles.

The Hit Man The 35-year-old actor revealed that he is returning to his home state of Texas after more than 15 years living in Hollywood, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Powell, who grew up in Austin and attended the University of Texas for one year, tells the paper that it was actually another star and Texan who influenced him: Matthew McConaughey.

“He says, ‘Hollywood is the Matrix, man. You join and it’s all a fake world.’ He says, ‘Then I go to Austin and unplug. Everything is real. It’s my friends, it’s my family, it’s where my actions matter,’ Power recalls his fellow leading man’s insight.

Glen Powell celebrates Hit Man Premiere at Sundance with his lookalike parents

Glen Powell at the premiere of the film ‘Hit Man’ in May 2024.

Hubert Vestil/Getty

“And he’s right,” adds Powell. “If you’re here, you’re living in the Matrix all the time, there’s no separation of those worlds. And I, especially as my parents get older and my niece and nephew grow up, I want the separation of those worlds.”

McConaughey has been vocal about his decision to leave California for a simpler lifestyle in Texas with his wife Camila Alves McConaughey and their three children.

Glen Powell’s parents troll him on the red carpet as he is inducted into the Texas Hall of Fame

Glen Powell with his parents Cyndy and Glen Sr.

John Salangsang/Variety via Getty Images

The Anyone but you the star adds that he is looking forward to being with his family more because they “keep him out of his head.”

After buying a house just 30 minutes from his parents’ base, Powell thinks he’s at a certain “point in Hollywood” where he can now leave if he wants to.

“It was like I deserved the opportunity to go back to my family,” he says.

Another reason he was hesitant to return home was to finish his studies at UT. He explains why he is eager to complete a degree in Spanish and early American history amid his success as an actor.

“I think it’s very important to my mom, and for me it’s more of an emotional thing,” he says. “Besides, I’m so close, I can taste it.

Glen Powell poses with his family in Austin, Texas on May 16, 2024.

Chris Saucedo/Getty

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Despite living in his Hollywood Hills abode since landing his breakout role Top Gun: Maverick alongside Tom Cruise, Powell admits he’s ready for this to be his last official week in Los Angeles. He notes that he still maintains a home in New York City’s celebrity-favored Tribeca neighborhood, but Austin is where he’ll mostly live.

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Source: HIS Education