Watch Matthew McConaughey Reminisce Over Why How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days Worked So Well

Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in How To Lose A Guy in 10 days
(Image credit: (Paramount))

Remember How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days? Of course you do. It’s easily one of the most famous rom-coms made in the past 20 years that won’t quit appearing as an afternoon rerun and on streaming queues. The electric 2003 release follows Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson’s characters as they form a relationship with one another under the foundation of their own underhand bets with their work colleagues.

17 years later, Matthew McConaughey has offered his own commentary on why How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days is a modern classic today. Check it out:

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It’s Krull, Matthew… the dog’s name is Krull. Anyway, on his Twitter account, the now 50-year-old actor gushed about the How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days script, which was both fun and particularly engaging for the audience to attach to. But what he especially attributes to the success of the romantic comedy is the chemistry he had with Kate Hudson in the movie.

Matthew McConaughey discussed this balance of push and pull that two actors must strike when creating a believable romance on screen. He noted that the genre demands improvisation, banter and comedic timing. He talked about how the couple had to be about to ”dance between the raindrops” to create the specific tension needed.

The actor should know. At one time, Matthew McConaughey was known mainly for his work in romantic comedies, such as The Wedding Planner with Jennifer Lopez and Failure To Launch with Sarah Jessica Parker. His and Kate Hudson’s chemistry worked so well that the pair played a couple again five years after How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days for Fool’s Gold.

But there was a point when Matthew McConaughey was no longer interested in being “the shirtless guy on the beach,” as he put it. After making Ghosts of Girlfriends Past with Jennifer Garner in 2009, and once his first son was born, he decided to go through an “unbranding” process. He not only took some time off, but he passed on another rom-com, even though he was being offered some major dollars.

Then came what’s known as the “McConaissance,” where the actor made critically-acclaimed films such as Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf of Wall Street and starred in HBO’s True Detective. The actor has not made another rom-com since his “un-branding,” most recently starring in Guy Richie’s action-comedy The Gentleman.

But as Matthew McConaughey revealed, it’s his rom-com effort that may still be his most popular movie to date. As the actor said, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days still pays well for the actor through “mailbox money” – which are returns from television and streaming views. The movie is currently available to stream on HBO.

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.