Matthew McConaughey on losing his father in his early 20s

Matthew McConaughey is remembering his late father James, recalling how his "safety net had gone" in his early 20s with his father's passing.

The actor, 55, took a trip down memory lane in a recent exchange with Interview magazine, reflecting on James' death from a fatal heart attack at the age of 63.

"Well, when my father moved on, it was obviously hard because I didn’t even think he was killable, you know?," he told Maze Runner star Jacob Lofland.

"Through the mourning and the pain, it’s the biggest moment of becoming a man. I remember feeling like, 'There’s a certain safety net that I’ve always had behind me that’s gone.'"

"Because dads are, like, they’re above the law," The Rivals of Amziah King actor noted, recalling how he then became more "courageous" in real life and had a more head-on approach than he would have had in his dad's life.

"Yeah. I remember, though, gaining a lot of courage. There were things I was doing that he had taught me how to do, but I was kind of half-a****** them, because I felt like, 'Well, the real dude’s right behind me'. His moving on kind of gave me a kick in the caboose to have courage."

Matthew—who has Levi, 16, Vida, 15, and 12-year-old Livingston with his wife Camila—also believes that having his own children helped him move on.

"That’s a painful but beautiful side about fathers moving on. The next thing that was seminal in my life that you might find down the line is having children," the actor added.