How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days may have ended up with a different leading man — had Matthew McConaughey not had a chance encounter one night.
The 2003 film's star, 53, told Vanity Fair in an interview published Thursday that he had initially been on the fence about taking the role of ad exec Benjamin Barry. However, an unlikely source convinced him to say yes.
"I remember considering whether I was going to do it or not one night while on a walk down Sunset Boulevard," McConaughey said. "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,' " 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.' "
McConaughey was incredulous at first, but the mysterious stranger's prophecy made an impression: "I remember thinking, Did the studio hire this guy?"
"I laughed at the thought, but I also remember taking a more serious consideration," he said. "I think I even accepted the offer the next day."
McConaughey's costar Kate Hudson — who also spoke to Vanity Fair as part of a tribute to the movie's 20th anniversary — was onboarded to the cast without any alleged supernatural assistance. However, she told the outlet that finding the perfect Benjamin to set off magazine writer Andie Anderson's character involved a long discussion, ending only when McConaughey's name came up.
"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," Hudson, 43, recalled.
Hudson noted in December to TODAY that the film appears to have gained a following among younger generations. "There was a very feminist twist to that movie and it really inspired young girls and that makes me so happy," she said.
As for any plans to commit on doing a sequel catching up on Andie and Ben's relationship? "There's nothing in the works," Hudson told Vanity Fair, but added: "I love working with Matthew, so I'm sure at some point we'll work together again."
