Matthew McConaughey is opening up about the dynamic between him and Kate Hudson on the set of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
The Oscar winner sat down with People to celebrate the publication’s 50th anniversary, during which he talked through some of his most iconic roles, including his stint as the rom-com heartthrob. He recalled meeting his co-star before production began on the film.
“I remember we met on the Paramount lot — I believe it was the time — and those casting sort of meeting couches, especially for rom-coms, you want to see the chemistry between the two leads,” he said. “You want to see how the jive is. We’re not reading through the script. We’re not reading lines.”
He continued, “Immediately, we were comfortable with each other, and we jacked with each other, and we busted each other’s chops, and we laughed a lot. There was a bit of rock and roll exchange, like ‘Oh this could be some heavyweight fun.’ And I think that’s why I was cast, and that’s why for whatever extent it worked.”
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days follows journalist Andie Anderson (Hudson), who tries to push the boundaries of what she can write at a women’s magazine by convincing her boss that she can get a man to, well, leave her in 10 days. Meanwhile, Ben Barry (McConaughey) is so confident in his romantic prowess that he makes a bet with his co-workers that he can make a woman fall in love with him in 10 days. When the two meet, their plans backfire.
In the video, McConaughey also discussed working with Jennifer Lopez on The Wedding Planner two years before. He shared that his rom-com co-star went beyond a triple threat on the set, particularly singing her praises for the scene in which their characters dance together.
“I’ve never seen someone be able to choreograph something so cleanly and clearly and actually hit the coordination of a scene,” he said, adding that she nailed the scene every time. “That woman’s a worker and knows what she wants to do, and she does what she needs to do to pull [it] off.”
In The Wedding Planner, McConaughey and Lopez portray Steve and Mary. After he saves her from a near-fatal collision, the two spend the most enchanting evening together. But it isn’t long before Mary finds out that Steve is marrying her wedding planning client, Fran Donelly (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras).
Over the course of the conversation, McConaughey also touched on his breakout role in Dazed and Confused, A Time to Kill, Magic Mike, Dallas Buyers Club, True Detective and Sing.