Matthew McConaughey appreciates Hollywood break

Matthew McConaughey admits taking a break from Hollywood was life-changing.

The hunky star – who has children Levi, five, Vida, four, and one-year-old Livingston with his wife Camila Alves – stepped away from acting for two years in 2009 so he could focus on fatherhood, and he believes the time away was good for his career.

McConaughey – who has won a slew of awards and received an Oscar nomination for his performance in ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ – explained: ”I just needed to let time catch up with me.”

The 44-year-old actor is now starring in a hit HBO TV series ‘True Detective’, which will see him play a tortured detective opposite his long-time friend Woody Harrelson, and he insists he decided to take on the role in order to keep his family happy but still keep his career alive.

He explained: ”Part of it is just growing up and part of it is I’m very turned on and excited about all kinds of things. Probably more now than I used to be.

”I work hard to maintain the good things in my life that I’ve built – friendships, work, family, my own time. Sometimes you’ve got to go, ‘Ah man, I haven’t seen my brother in three months.’ But it feels really great when you can think, ‘Boy, all my relationships are good, people that I love are good, and my relationship with them is good. My career, I’m dialed, it feels good. Health Is good.’ ”