Matthew McConaughey has revealed that he once relied on Jennifer Lopez’s name to get himself out of a difficult encounter with police.
During an episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast released on Thursday (August 13), the Oscar-winning actor looked back on a late-night traffic stop in Mexico, explaining that mentioning his The Wedding Planner co-star ultimately helped him avoid trouble.
“Wedding Planner got me out of a major, major mess-up in Mexico one time,” McConaughey told host Josh Horowitz. “I pulled in one late night and [was] crossing the border going way down south, and I get pulled over, and it’s one of those pulled-overs, where they noticed me, gringo in the truck, nice truck. This is that dress down, and I’m like, Aw, jeez, [let me] get the wallet out. Here we go. And it was going down.”
Thinking quickly, McConaughey decided to mention a famous co-star he believed the officers would recognize, while also reminding them of who he was.
“And then I brought up, ‘You guys know Jennifer Lopez?’ And I was like, ‘Ever see Wedding Planner?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, it was me,'” he recalled.
The officers immediately recognized the actor. Instead of issuing him a ticket, they asked to take photos with him before allowing him to continue his trip. “And then they let me go,” McConaughey said.
Released in 2001, The Wedding Planner stars Jennifer Lopez as wedding planner Mary Fiore, who unexpectedly falls for her client’s fiancé, Steve Edison, portrayed by McConaughey. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the romantic comedy debuted at No. 1 at the box office and went on to earn more than $94 million worldwide.
