Matthew McConaughey took famous role in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days because a fortune teller told him to

It’s been 20 years since How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days graced cinemas, becoming an instant romantic comedy classic.

The movie grossed $177.5 million worldwide, gaining success largely thanks to its lead stars Matthew McConoughey and Kate Hudson, who sizzled with chemistry on screen.

Hudson, 42, revealed in December that McConoughey, 53, was her “first choice” as co-star after she was the first to be offered a lead role in the film.

When the role was brought to McConoughey however, he was still left pondering about taking it on and ended up making his decision after meeting with a fortune teller.

In a new interview marking the 20^th anniversary of the film, McConoughey reflected on the encounter, telling Vanity Fair: “One night, while on a walk down Sunset Boulevard, suddenly, this guy comes up out of nowhere to me 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.’”

The actor continued: “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.”

Hudson recalled being “immediately” struck by McConoughey’s “energy” prior to the project, and thought he’d be the perfect choice for the romantic role.

Once the actor officially agreed to join, director Donald Petrie was challenged to come up with a back-story explaining why the Texas native would be in New York City, where the film is set.

“We took his father and made him be a Navy guy, so he would have been stationed at different places around the world, and Celia Weston, who came in to play the mom, she is Southern,” Petrie added.

The movie poster for How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is just as iconic as the film, which McConoughey discussed also: “[Hudson’s] in that long, elegant, yellow dress, and I’m in a classic black tux, back-to-back. It was the perfect posture to represent the film.

“Now if you’ll notice, quite a few – and I’m in a couple of them – rom-coms repeated a version of that same dance for their posters.”