Matthew McConaughey has revealed how mentioning his former co-star Jennifer Lopez helped him escape a major mess when he was stopped at the United States-Mexico border.
The 56-year-old actor explained during an appearance on a new episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast that border officials allowed him to go after he brought up his role opposite the 57-year-old actress in their 2001 romantic comedy The Wedding Planner.
Recounting the incident, McConaughey shared how his hit film came to his rescue during a late night drive into Mexico. "The Wedding Planner got me out of a major mess up in Mexico one time," he explained on the podcast.
"I pull in one late night, and I'm crossing the border going way down south," McConaughey said. "I get pulled over. It's one of those pullovers where they noticed me, [a] gringo in a nice truck."
Determined to de-escalate the situation, the Oscar winner had the quick thought to bring up his famous co-star by name. "I brought up, 'You guys know Jennifer Lopez? Ever see The Wedding Planner? That was me,'" he recalled telling the officers.
The tactic worked immediately with the border personnel. "They went off, and we end up taking pictures together, and they let me go," McConaughey shared.
Border incidents and movie history
McConaughey noted that The Wedding Planner was not the only project to save him from trouble while traveling. He mentioned that his other films and shows, including Sahara and Lincoln Lawyer, have also helped him out of previous run-ins with the law.
More than 20 years ago, McConaughey and Lopez displayed their onscreen chemistry in The Wedding Planner, directed by Adam Shankman. McConaughey starred as pediatrician Steve Edison, while Lopez played wedding planner Mary Fiore.
In the romantic comedy, their characters fall for each other despite Steve being set to marry Fran, played by Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, and Mary being about to wed Massimo, played by Justin Chambers.
Virtual reunion and on-set memories
In 2021, the lead stars virtually reunited on Instagram Live to mark the 20th anniversary of the romantic comedy's release. During the stream, the pair reminisced about their time filming together.
"It still feels like it was yesterday. Just yesterday we were in the middle of that field with the movie theater," Lopez said to McConaughey during the virtual reunion.
The Bronx native asked McConaughey if he remembered filming their romantic scene, adding: "Do you remember doing that scene where you were about to kiss me? I remember you saying to me, 'Miss Lopez, I'm going to kiss you now.' And I said, 'Okay, let's do it. Let's hit it.' I remember that clearly."
During the reunion, McConaughey praised Lopez for her work ethic on set, describing the actress and singer as a "deliberate" and "well-prepared" professional.
Praise for Jennifer Lopez
The Texas-bred heartthrob similarly lavished praise on Lopez in April 2024 during an interview with People magazine, calling his former co-star a "five-threat" performer.
Speaking to the magazine, McConaughey expressed his admiration for her skills as an all-around entertainer. "Look, I don't know what a five-threat is, but it's more than a four-threat, a quad-threat… whatever a five-threat is is what she is," he said.
The actor remarked that the "Jenny From The Block" singer was consistently able to hit all of her marks while they were filming scenes together.
"I've never seen someone be able to choreograph something so cleanly and clearly and actually hit the coordination of a scene," McConaughey remembered. "It would be a two-minute scene. Take one's two minutes. Take two is 2:01. Take three is 1:59. Take four, it's 2:01. She had it down."
