Matthew McConaughey may not have yet married Camila Alves, the lovely mother of his infant son, but that doesn’t mean that he’s pining for his single past. McConaughey has a new interview in this week’s In Touch in which he waxes poetic about how he views his relationship and the things he’s gone through to get to his life as a father and partner. I love the way he phrases things and how open and real McConaughey seems. Ever since he described his son’s birth so viscerally, I’ve been a fan:

Five years ago, when I thought about having a child and a family, I didn’t want to do it and live in Hollywood, or do it and be doing what I’m doing – acting. But I’ve completely turned that around.

Now that you’re committed to Camila, do you have any regrets about your dating past?
You bring up an interesting point because once people get to where they want to go, they want to white out the past. I never understood that.

Why is that?
You wouldn’t be where you are if you didn’t go through all the other things. It’s an honor to be at an ex-girlfriend’s wedding or to have them over for dinner. There’s nothing goofy about it.

Weren’t you the man of honor at Sandra Bullock’s wedding?
I don’t want to give details, but I still have good relationships with people I was with in the past. They’re great. I’m not saying everyone has to do that, but I’ve been very fortunate.

Have any of your exes ever tried to change you?
I’ve seen women who have changed men and then it didn’t work out because he wasn’t the guy they fell in love with. I want to grow, but if somebody tried to tinker too much with me, we’d probably high-five and say good luck.

Were you a player when you were younger?
I don’t subscribe to any of that. My dad taught me to respect women and be a gentlemen.

What else did your parents instill in you?
Dad gave us good birds-and-bees tips early on. And my mom always said to respect yourself, your time and your body. That was pretty cool advice.

How’s your son, Levi, doing?
He’s in his eighth month, which is great. Carrots are his favorite toy.

Are you on diaper duty?
It’s a privilege. It’s really not a hard task. I can do it in less than five minutes.

Have you learned anything surprising about babies?
They’re like rubber. You don’t have to be dainty with them. And they’re usually happy once their diaper is clean.

Is it hard to go to work now that you have family at home?
No. A film crew becomes a tribe. It’s like the circus has come to town and now I get to bring my family along. For me, I’m really interested – it’s going to make me a better actor.

[From In Touch, print edition, April 6, 2009]

Unlike Hello! Magazine and some other stources, In Touch is pretty honest about their interviews and doesn’t run other people’s interviews or cobble together old stuff and make it seem new. They bill this as a new interview and I’m pretty certain it is one.

McConaughey is incredibly refreshing and his interviews are fun to watch and read. I love the unique way he phrases things and the kind of spunk and honesty that comes through when he explains things. He’s a real character and a stand up guy. He’s not the best actor, but he’s certainly got a good attitude about life.

Matthew McConaughey is shown on the beach with his dog on 3/31/09. Credit: Fame Pictures