What The How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days Cast Is Doing Now
Donald Petrie's 2003 film "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" clearly wasn't a landmark achievement in cinema. The movie currently holds a critical score of just 42% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics consensus reading that the leads are charming together, but that they can't overcome a "silly premise and predictable script."
Nevertheless, the film was a commercial success, racking up nearly $180 million at the international box office, per Box Office Mojo. Moreover, it may represent the high-water mark for early 2000s rom-coms.
Starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey - arguably the king and queen of the genre at the time - "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" tells the story of a magazine journalist and an ad executive with conflicting motives.
One is attempting to scare the other away by being the worst partner imaginable so they can write about it in an article. The other aims to make their counterpart fall in love with them in order to win a bet.
In the end, hilarity (and romance) ensues, and while the movie wasn't exactly a critical darling, it thrilled audiences in '03 and ultimately achieved cult classic status. This came in large part due to its incredible ensemble cast, which was led by a pair of bona fide stars at the height of their rom-com powers in McConaughey and Hudson.
Here is what the talented actors, actresses, and comedians whose performances helped the film endure are doing today.
Kate Hudson
Hudson's performance as Composure Magazine's resident how-to girl, Andie Anderson, might be the highlight of the film. At the least, the range of character and personality she has to display throughout its running time is impressive.
In the beginning, as she does her best to reel in her target Benjamin Barry (McConaughey), she's the triple threat – confident, clever, and sexy to boot. However, when Andie flips the switch in an effort to lose Ben by Day 10, she becomes clingy, kooky, and downright creepy while invading every aspect of her beau's life (and doing her best to make it unbearable for him).
Five years after "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," she reunited with McConaughey in the action rom-com "Fool's Gold." She also appeared in films like "You, Me and Dupree," "Bride Wars" and "Something Borrowed."
Her latest movie was Sia's 2021 musical drama "Music," which was released on-demand in February after a brief, small-scale theatrical run. In "Music," Hudson plays a newly-sober drug dealer who finds herself the sole guardian of the titular character - her younger, nonverbal autistic half-sister – following the death of their grandmother. Hudson also has multiple projects in post-production and is an active presence on Instagram, where she has more than 13 million followers.
Matthew McConaughey
At the beginning of the movie, McConaughey's Ben is concerned with little more than advancing his career. If he is able to make good on claims that he can make any woman fall in love with him, his boss at the ad agency declares that he'll give Ben an important, potentially career-defining account. So, he proceeds to be the most dapper, charming, and debonair man possible while attempting to woo Andie. All the while, he does his best to cope with her being actively insane in an attempt to drive him away.
In addition to his work with Hudson on this film and "Fool's Gold," McConaughey was the ultimate rom-com leading man in movies like "The Wedding Planner," "Failure to Launch" and "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past."
In the early 2010s, however, he took a sharp left turn, taking on more serious roles and working with some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers. He won a Best Actor Oscar for his work in 2013's "Dallas Buyers Club" and later received acclaim for his performance as Detective Rustin "Rust" Cohle on HBO's "True Detective."
His most recent film role was in the 2020 Guy Ritchie-directed action-comedy "The Gentlemen." McConaughey also voiced a character in the forthcoming animated sequel "Sing 2." More recently, he launched his very own YouTube channel, and in March of 2021, as reported by Politico, he revealed that he was pondering a run for governor of Texas in 2022.
The friends: Kathryn Hahn & Annie Parisse
Andie is inspired to pen her "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" article by one of her co-workers, Michelle (Kathryn Hahn), who despite her own charms and talents can't seem to keep a man due to her overly needy nature. All the while, Andie and Michelle's other work BFF, Jeannie (Annie Parisse), are there to keep her from totally falling apart.
While the film's situations and relationships definitely qualify as heightened reality – to put it mildly – Hudson, Hahn, and Parisse have incredible on-screen chemistry while their characters are exchanging witty repartee about their respective relationships.
Although Hahn shines as Michelle, her career has skyrocketed over the nearly two decades since "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" was released. She later starred in comedies like "Step Brothers," "Bad Moms" (and its Christmas-themed sequel), as well as the drama film "Captain Fantastic."
However, her highest-profile role yet may have come in the 2021 Disney+ series "WandaVision," in which she portrays the nosy neighbor Agnes. Spoiler alert: Hahn's character is later revealed to be the witch Agatha Harkness, who becomes the MCU series' primary villain.
As for Parisse, who was nominated for a Daytime Emmy as a soap actress before her role in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," the Alaska native last appeared on the big screen in the 2015 indie drama "Anesthesia." In 2020, she appeared as Midge Costanza on the FX/Hulu series "Mrs. America."
The ad guys: Adam Goldberg & Tom Lennon
Andie isn't the only one with a pair of occasionally quirky sidekicks to help navigate the perils of this strange relationship. Ben has his very own dude crew at the agency in Tony (Adam Goldberg) and Thayer (Tom Lennon).
While they are largely relegated to reacting to Andie's peculiar behavior (or Ben's descriptions of it), both actors excelled in the role. Goldberg's delivery of one-liners is on-point throughout the film, while Lennon's Thayer is the ultimate straight man in the movie's crazy world.
Lennon, of course, is a comedy maven who is best known for his iconic role as Lieutenant Jim Dangle on the Comedy Central series "Reno 911!" He has also played memorable characters in movies like "17 Again" and "Hot Tub Time Machine."
In 2020, he played a part in the musical remake of the 1983 classic "Valley Girl." He also appeared in the 2021 Apple TV+ exclusive "Cherry," which stars Tom Holland as an army vet who turns to drugs to treat his PTSD. Lennon is an accomplished screenwriter as well, with multiple scripts in production, per IMDb.
Goldberg, meanwhile, has remained incredibly active on film, as well as television. He currently stars alongside Queen Latifah in the CBS series "The Equalizer," which premiered in February of 2021. He also played a role in the forthcoming horror film "The Georgetown Project."
The bosses: Bebe Neuwirth & Robert Klein
While Andie and Ben were definitely the architects of their respective schemes, they were definitely spurred into action by their bosses, ad baron Phillip Warren (Robert Klein) and media mogul/Composure editor Lana Jang (Bebe Neuwirth).
Klein, who will turn 80 in 2022, is a legendary stand-up comedian in addition to his work in film, television, and on the stage. His specials include "On Location: An Evening with Robert Klein," "Child of the 50s, Man of the 80s" and "Child in His 50s." He went on to replace Alan Arkin as Grace Adler's father, Martin, in NBC's 2018 revival of "Will & Grace." His most recent film role came in the 2015 TV movie "Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!," in which he plays the Mayor of New York City.
Neuwirth, of course, rose to prominence with her iconic role as Dr. Lilith Sternin on "Cheers" and its follow-up, "Frasier." More recently, she made a cameo appearance in the 2019 film "Jumanji: The Next Level" as Nora Shepherd, her character from the original 1990s "Jumanji. She also has a recurring role on the HBO Max series, "The Flight Attendant," which debuted in 2020. Additionally, she maintains an active Twitter account with more than 70,000 followers.
The Judies: Michael Michele & Shalom Harlow
As "The Judies," Michael Michele and Shalom Harlow act as Ben's rivals at the ad agency – powerful women looking to land the biggest accounts while Ben and the boys are stuck selling beer and Nerf footballs to other boys. It was their desire to beat out Ben that prompted the bet on whether or not he could make Andie fall in love with him.
For them, it was a sure bet – they had met her previously and were fully aware she was looking for a man to woo, then scare away. Although the plan ultimately fails when Andie actually falls for Ben, the duo's incomparable style throughout the film remains one of its highlights.
Michele has been appearing on the rebooted "Dynasty" on the CW as Dominque Devereaux since its second season. The show was renewed for a fifth season in February 2021.
As for Harlow, the former top-earning supermodel hasn't appeared in a feature-length film in nearly 15 years. However, she did make her big return to the runway after a multi-year absence at Milan Fashion Week for the Donatella Versace show, per Vogue.