Matthew McConaughey claimed during an interview published Thursday that a psychic convinced him to accept the leading role in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” opposite Kate Hudson.
The 53-year-old movie star told the story during an interview with Vanity Fair in honor of the film’s 20th anniversary this year.
“I remember considering whether I was going to do it or not one night while on a walk down Sunset Boulevard when suddenly, this guy comes up out of nowhere to me — he was a fortuneteller guru [and] goes, ‘Can I tell you your fortune real quick?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, man. Sure,’” McConaughey recalled.
“He immediately goes, ‘There’s a movie you’re considering right now. It’s a romantic comedy. You have to do this or it will be one of the biggest regrets of your life. It is going to be a blast, it is going to be an incredible experience and it is going to make a bunch of money,’” he continued.
The actor remembered wondering if the studio had set up the interaction to convince him but ultimately determined the interaction was real. “Did the studio hire this guy? I laughed at the thought, but I also remember taking a more serious consideration. I think I even accepted the offer the next day.”
While McConaughey had already starred in several big-name projects by 2003, he hadn’t made the transition to starring in romantic comedies yet. The movie’s producer admitted to being skeptical about casting the actor, too.
Lynda Obst told Vanity Fair that a talent agent pitched McConaughey to her.
“I’m like, ‘Well, Matthew McConaughey is so Texan, but it’s kind of genius.’ So that’s in the back of my head. Now we’re in the meeting and [then-Paramount President] Sherry [Lansing] says to Kate [Hudson], ‘We have to bring this to a head. We have to find an actor that we both agree with,'” she said.
Obst recalled bringing up McConaughey’s name during the discussion. “And then Sherry said, ‘Matthew McConaughey.’ And Kate said, ‘Matthew McConaughey.’ And John Goldman said, ‘Matthew McConaughey.’ Everybody just looked at each other, and Kate said, ‘I would do it with him.’”
During the interview, the movie execs also mentioned how Gwyneth Paltrow was originally slated to play the lead actress role but later had to pull out of the project.
Hudson also said that there are no plans for a sequel to the hit romantic comedy. “My hope is that [Andie and Ben] are happy, they’ve got a bunch of kids, they got married, and they’re still playing Bulls*** with his parents,” she told Vanity Fair. “If there was a sequel, I’m sure there would be some conflict in there somewhere.”