Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey use every kind of deception playing the dating game in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" - illustrating why most New Yorkers can only enjoy longevity in a relationship with their shrink.
We asked cast and director to lay back on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔi Films couch and tell us all about it.
The Andie Anderson [Kate Hudson] character does various things in the film to try and lose her date. Have you ever done anything like that in real life?
Kate Hudson: Not really. I know I've called too much and done some things... stalking comes to mind!
Michael Michele: Usually I'm losing the guy because I'm travelling. That's usually the problem with me.
Kathryn Hahn: I think a lot of people - men or women - don't realise what they do to push people away, or get in the way of their own happiness. They sabotage themselves, consciously or unconsciously.
So Matthew, was Kate Hudson easier to get along with off-screen?
Matthew McConaughey: She's adorable. She's very natural, loose, and free. She's smart... savvy is a better word. She gets the joke, whatever the joke may be. Not just the obvious joke - she gets that too - but she'll laugh at the subplot that's a little funnier than the obvious joke. She's a young girl, and, at the same time, has that savvy of a woman. She's a mix of a hippie and a woman who likes blue ribbons and gold medals. She's ambitious. She likes to win.
What was it about the dynamic between these characters that interested you?
Matthew McConaughey: You've got a male and a female perspective, and a battle of the sexes at the same time. Good give and take. A lot of spontaneity. You'll see a lot of scenes where you'll feel like, "Oh, I bet that only happened once," and it's true. It happened in one take. It's a very alive process that can happen in a good romantic comedy. It's not necessarily what's being said, but the stuff between the lines that makes it sexy and fun.
Chemistry between the couple is obviously an important factor in any romantic comedy. As director, how do you ensure it's there?
Donald Petrie: I love a lot of improv because it's all about the moment. There can be great chemistry, but if it happens at the water cooler when the cameras aren't rolling, you've got nothing. It's the chemistry that happens at that moment when it's in focus. Actually, my favourite scene in the movie is when there are no words whatsoever. It's when she wants him to seduce her so she can say no, and he's determined not to seduce her so he won't seem like the cad that he is. The cross purposes with no words really plays well.
So you encouraged a lot of improvisation?
Donald Petrie: Yeah. I'm very sneaky as a director. I'd go over to Kate and say, "OK, in this next take, don't tell Matthew, but do this." She would do it. What's great is that, because they're such consummate professionals, they never break character. They just go with it. They just wing it. I never say "Cut!" at the end of a scene.
