Matthew McConaughey has stated that his memorable role in How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days was inspired by a fortune teller.
Thanks to its epic narrative and the chemistry between the two protagonists, the 2003 film, also starring Kate Hudson and Kathryn Hahn, has gone down as one of the most successful rom-coms of all time.
It centred on journalist Andie Anderson (Kate), who proposed a piece on dating and driving away a man in 10 days, choosing naïve Benjamin Barry (Matthew) as her subject.
Unfortunately, her new lover threw a wrench in the works by betting his coworkers that he could make her fall in love with him in the same length of time.
As the pair tried their hardest to win, chaos followed, resulting in a dying ‘love plant,’ a lovely yellow gown, and a dreadful version of You’re So Vain.
However, speaking on the film’s 20th anniversary, Matthew admitted that he was concerned about taking the job – until he met a ‘guru’.
‘We were looking at guys and kept going back and forth about who would be the right guy. The guy for me was really important. Matthew came up in a meeting and I thought that was a great idea. I loved his energy. We immediately just got along,’ Kate recalled in a chat with Vanity Fair.
Matthew said: ‘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 fortune teller guru [and] goes, “Can I tell you your fortune real quick?” I was like, “Yeah, man. Sure.”
‘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.”
‘I remember thinking, 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.’
Find the fortune teller and give him a raise.
That wasn’t the only surprise regarding the casting, as it was discovered that Gwyneth Paltrow was originally set to play Kate before having to pull out.
‘Initially Gwyneth was attached to it, and then at some point, she must have had a conflict and had to pull out.’ writer Burr Steers remarked.
Could you see anyone else playing Andie Anderson?
How to Lose a Guy was a box office smash, grossing over $177 million.
Matthew had expressed interest in a sequel, telling E! Daily’s Pop in 2020: ‘Possibly. I mean, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is teed up, you know, teed up for one that you could easily do a sequel.
‘And that was a really good one. As far as romantic comedies go, that was a really good one. And it lasts! People still love that one.
‘I enjoyed that one quite a bit.’
