Matthew McConaughey returns to acting after six years of absence in ‘The Lost Bus’a film about the worst fire in the history of California, in which he debuts with his mother and son, and who, according to Efe both he and his caster America Ferrera and Jamie Lee Curtis, was as hard to film as to see again after the recent fires in Los Angeles.
“Kevin was a man who never ended what began. His marriages were halfway, his works were halfway, as a father and as a son he also failed, “McConaughey explained about the real character he gives life, Kevin McKay, a school bus driver who saved the life of 22 children from a primary school.
“Sometimes you think there is nothing more to do. But if you are fortunate and do something about it, you can have a second chance,” he added during a virtual interview after explaining that the complexity of the situation was one of the reasons that led him to return to the big screen.
‘The Lost Bus’, which opens in Cinemas on September 19 and will arrive at Apple TV+ on October 3, revive the real story of McKay and teacher Mary Ludwig, who evacuated the children on the bus during the so -called ‘Camp Fire’, the worst fire in the history of California, with a record balance of 85 dead.
The lack of alert systems and few communication routes in the area complicated the evacuation. The film, based on the book ‘Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive An American Wildfire’, by Lizzie Johnson, focuses on how the bus that driving McKay, full of children, finds all kinds of obstacles to escape the flames.
“I grew up in such a place, I understand how devastating a tragedy of that magnitude can be,” lamented the artist.
The experience charged a greater meaning when his eldest son, Levi, 17, and his mother Kay were incorporated into the cast.
“My family is in this movie thanks to Paul”, McConaughey said in reference to director Paul Grengrass, who allowed Levi to appear to the hearing without anyone knowing his real last name.
América Ferrera gives Ludwig life, the teacher who also goes on the bus taking care of the children. “She assumed the role of a teacher to keep them physically safe, but also tried to protect them emotionally and mitigate the trauma of those hours,” said the actress.
Filming was made in 2024 in the town of Roudeos, in New Mexico. The scenes between the actors and the children on the bus were filmed in complete sequences of more than an hour, an “exhausting and intense” process.
A Real Life Nightmare
The actors and part of the team revived the nightmare, but in real life during the fires of Los Angeles of early 2025.
McConaughey has a residence in Malibu, a strongly affected area. Ferrera and Curtis live in Los Angeles and were in their homes during the fires. In fact, both Curtis and the editors of the film and other members of the technical team had to evacuate while giving the final touches to ‘The Lost Bus’.
“When we see these stories we think: ‘This can happen to anyone’, but the reality is that it happened to us. It was not easy to get here, but these stories are necessary,” said Curtis, who produced the tape. The artist returned home just 10 days ago, after months of reconstruction.
“These disasters are a call of personal, community and even global responsibility. We have to ask ourselves how we are going to face the problems that come and unite,” Ferrera said.
For McConaughey “the urgency” that feels in the movie “It reflects the attitude to be taken to avoid similar tragedies.” Also to honor the victims and the lifeguards.
The artist is also promoting his book ‘Poems and Prayers’ (poems and prayers) with a tour of the main cities of the United States from next week, accompanied by musicians Jon Bon Jovi, Jon Batiste and John Mayer, among others.
