Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey has revealed rom-com How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days has made him the most “mailbox money” out of any film over his career.
The Oscar-winning actor appeared opposite Kate Hudson in the 2003 comedy, which remains a hit with fans.
It tells the story of a magazine writer – played by Hudson – who attempts to prove to her friends she can make McConaughey’s advertising executive dump her within 10 days.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days #McConaugheyTakes @ParamountPics pic.twitter.com/gyvmc9Najj
— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) April 6, 2020
Unbeknown to her, McConaughey’s character bets his co-workers he can make her fall in love with him.
McConaughey, 50, shared a video with fans on Monday, looking back on the film and revealed it had made him more “mailbox money” – an industry term for residuals – than any of his other movies.
“That film, hands down by far, has given me the most mailbox money of any film I’ve ever done,” he said.
McConaughey, who starred in a string of rom-coms in the early 2000s, said chemistry between the two leads is essential in the genre.
He said: “In a romantic comedy the script’s got to be good but the main thing is the male and the female, or the two leads, have to have some chemistry. If they don’t, it doesn’t matter how good that script is.
“Because there’s a lot of improv, there’s a lot of banter, it’s about timing, it’s about comedic timing.”
McConaughey, a best actor Oscar winner for 2013’s Dallas Buyers Club, said it was important not to get “full of rage” in a rom-com, warning “you’ll sink the ship” if you do.
“You have to sort of bounce from cloud to cloud,” he said. “Dance between the raindrops I always used to say. Kate and I had great chemistry on that.
“Obviously we worked after that on other films but we had a really good push and pull.”
McConaughey said he and Hudson “added a lot of rock ‘n’ roll” and “the way we would parry with each other really worked in that film”.