Inside Kate Hudson & Matthew McConaughey's Friendship

These superstar actors may have starred in two films together in the 2000s, but something that some fans may not know about Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson is that they also share an in-depth friendship in real life that seems to be unbreakable. Hudson first starred opposite McConaughey in the film "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," where they played each other's romantic interests. While their close bond seemingly grew while working on the 2003 romantic comedy, Hudson was one of the people who helped decide McConaughey should be the movie's male lead. 

While speaking with Vanity Fair in 2023, Hudson discussed how the "Interstellar" actor became her co-star. "We were looking at guys and kept going back and forth about who would be the right guy," Hudson told the outlet, regarding the casting for "How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days." "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."

In a 2024 People interview, McConaughey corroborated the "Song Sung Blue" star's account of their shared chemistry while reminiscing about their first film. "We challenged each other, we busted each other's chops and we laughed a lot," the "True Detective" actor proclaimed, showing that their real-life friendship was seemingly fated from the beginning. "And I think that's why I was cast and that's why, to whatever extent, it worked."

After showcasing their undeniable chemistry in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" (and before Matthew McConaughey stopped acting in rom-coms), he and Kate Hudson worked together for the second time in the 2008 flick "Fool's Gold," presumably making their camaraderie grow deeper. However, their relationship has always been platonic — but that's not the only thing that made Hudson and McConaughey's on-screen kissing very awkward. Both actors admitted that their kiss in the sea in "Fool's Gold" wasn't the best due to the circumstances. Referencing that watery smooch, McConaughey told Yahoo Entertainment in 2020, "There's a lot of salt water and snot and all kinds of stuff that are in between all those." He added, "We never got to have our nice 'romantic' kiss yet."

Despite their not-great experiences with movie PDA, their friendship endured. During an April 2026 sit-down for Time 100 (via YouTube), Hudson opened up about her fondness for her friend McConaughey in an in-depth way she hadn't really done before. "Matthew is unique. He is the most unique, wonderful ... spontaneous, unpredictable man I've ever worked with," the two-time Oscar nominee said, before diving deeper into her buddy's character. "He's competitive in the best ways. He is so much fun to laugh with," the "Skeleton Key" star continued. "He's down for anything. ... And then at the same time, he's really protective." Hudson also revealed how similar he is to her as a person, stating, "He cares deeply about his work, but mostly about the human condition and finding inner peace, or at least contentment. And we connect on that very much."