What does McConaughey find sexiest about Alves (in July)? "She's confident," says a pal. Photo by: Calabrese, Shirley / Pacific Coast News |
And alas, ladies, trés taken. After years of devotion to the buddies they play ball with–and pull pranks on–PEOPLE's current and former Sexiest Man Alive both seem to have found keepers in women who can match them in spirit and stride. Alves, 24, a native of Rio de Janeiro whose family moved to L.A. when she was young, met McConaughey about a year ago. Since then, she has been the gung ho girl at his side, riding the waves this year from Australia, where he filmed
Fool's Gold, to the Bahamas, where he shot the comedy
Surfer Dude. Meanwhile, Larson, 28, who heralds from Kent, Wash., and has worked at several of the N9NE Group's nightspots in Vegas for several years, got more than a thrill riding shotgun Sept. 21 on Clooney's Harley Davidson in Weehawken, N.J. When a car in front of them took an unexpected turn, they took an unexpected face-plant onto the sidewalk. He fractured a rib and she broke a toe, but that didn't stop them from attending the New York City premiere of his film
Michael Clayton three days later. Clooney, 46, was proud of his lady, who gamely limped down the red carpet in one high heel, an ace bandage and crutches. As he told PEOPLE, "She seems like she can take it, huh?"
She's not the only one. Bliss for McConaughey is his $100,000 Airstream trailer–an upgrade from the model he used to trek across the country in 2005 doing press for
Sahara. His costar and then girlfriend Penélope Cruz skipped the road trip, but Alves has been a regular at the Malibu Beach RV park where McConaughey camped until recently, showering in the public facilities and washing dishes outdoors.
"She likes roughing it," says a close McConaughey source. "She doesn't complain when they go hiking for 10 days without clean clothes or a shower." Which may be why he took a break from filming in April and brought Alves to meet his family in Texas. In September the two took a serious step forward by moving into a $1.1 million modular home in Malibu. Both now sport mystery matching rings, but "they're not engaged," says a source. Still, says another McConaughey friend, "everyone is convinced he'll be with her for a long time, if not forever."
