Matthew McConaughey’s best new role: Daddy

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

It’s no wonder that Matthew McConaughey still has that killer six-pack.

The shirtless sex symbol known for showing his tanned bod has a new workout routine. His equipment: 2-year-old son Levi and 1-year-old daughter Vida.

“Running after my kids is cardio,” says the 41-year-old in his native Texas drawl. “They love to run in opposite directions, each screaming, ‘Daddy, catch me!’ There’s one daddy, two of them.”

On a weekday morning while driving around Los Angeles, a relaxed and happy McConaughey is running between appointments. He insists that his new life of diapers and drool fits him just fine. Yes, there have been changes, but the former Sexiest Man Alive has embraced his domestication.

“I probably owe Tom Hanks some babysitting money for playing Woody in ‘Toy Story.’ My son loves it. He will wake up saying, ‘Can we watch Woody? Can we watch Woody?’

“I’ve seen it so many times that I feel like I’m in ‘Toy Story’ now,” McConaughey says. “But that’s cool because before my kids I never saw these movies. There’s a whole new library of films for me now with the best audience.”

It turns out the McConaughey brood are pretty easy film critics.

“It’s fun to see where the kids will laugh in a movie. Then they want me to play that scene again and again. I’ll do it because I just love to listen to them laugh and laugh.”

As for their living conditions, the trailer still exists. Remember that McConaughey famously lived in a trailer with his dog for years before meeting girlfriend Camila Alves and having a family. Has he put down roots now?

“We have three trailers and a home. The idea with the trailer is that you travel light and move swiftly. Anytime you tire of a place, you move on and go to the next one. The trailers are just more cluttered now. You might find Elmo on the floor.”

The actor wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s not a case of, ‘Oh my God, my life has changed,’” McConaughey swears. “I prefer the more romantic answer, which is to say that this family is something I fell into naturally and fell in love with instantly.

“What few people know about me is I wanted to have my own family when I was 8 years old,” he says. “I just knew that I would have children and when it happened, instincts just took over and it felt right.”

It also felt right to get back to work. After a short family break, McConaughey has a new film, “The Lincoln Lawyer,” opening Friday. It’s based on a novel by Michael Connelly.

McConaughey stars as slick street lawyer Mickey Haller. He defends mostly lowlife criminals from the backseat of his office — a Lincoln town car. His life begins to spiral when a rich Beverly Hills man (Ryan Phillippe) hires him after being accused of beating and almost killing a prostitute.

“I couldn’t be happier with his portrayal of Mickey, because McConaughey looks for the angles and the play,” says Connelly. “This character is a street guy with momentum, and Matthew is someone who looks like he’s moving when he’s standing still.”

“He’s a street gambler. He’s not the white knight. He’s no angel. He’s gritty and tough,” McConaughey says. “At his core, he’s also a good defense attorney, but his plans to defend someone just go out the window and it becomes about his own survival,” he previews.

McConaughey is well versed in playing lawyers on the big screen after roles in “A Time to Kill” (1996) and “Amistad” (1997).

Little known fact: McConaughey almost became a lawyer.

“I thought I would be practicing law,” he says. “My plan was to graduate from the University of Texas as a lawyer. Then I started acting and things got a little bit off track,” he says.

“I’ve got a lot of fight in me,” he continues. “It’s funny because when I play baseball, I’m always the catcher. When I play football, I’m a linebacker and when I play hockey, I’m the goalie. Those are all defense jobs. I’m comfortable in that position.”

Next up is a role in “Killer Joe,” directed by William Friedkin. It’s about a man who puts a “hit” on his mother in order to collect the insurance money.

He will also reunite with Richard Linklater to star in “Bernie” about a local mortician in a small Texas town who becomes friends with a wealthy widow, kills her and then almost kills himself to create the illusion that she’s still alive. The film also stars Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine.

The rest of his time is devoted to fatherhood. Just don’t think that the personally laid-back McConaughey is a permissive dad.

“That’s a false perception,” he says. “Sure, I’m fun loving and have a good time, but I like to work hard and take on certain responsibilities and handle things. The kids don’t get away with everything. Luckily, as parents, we’re a mother and father who have a similar mind on how to raise children. I believe that you guide them and have certain rules.

“Believe me, we run a fun but tight ship.”

As for his life partner, he says, “She’s so beautiful and a wonderful person.”

He says this family life has changed him as an artist.

“There is a different way I look at the world now. You’ve got things to protect,” he says. “You’re reminded of your own childhood innocence, and as an artist that’s priceless. I’m reminded again how you should never stop dreaming.

“I’m also reminded how to really see things for the first time,” he says. “For instance, I know now that a pile of dirt is more fun than toys. The pots and pans are more fun than the PlayStation. Do you even know how many cool things you can cook up with a cardboard box?”

McConaughey insists that his new family man status doesn’t make him more cautious in life.

“The only big change is you just don’t buy one-way tickets,” he says. “You get the return tickets. When you’re just taking care of no one but yourself, everything can be a one-way ticket with no return flight. Now, I’m on that return flight.”

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