In a revealing conversation on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Matthew McConaughey dropped a surprisingly honest confession: his 2003 rom-com How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is still his biggest “mailbox money” earner, even more than his Oscar-winning Dallas Buyers Club.

The actor, 56, made the admission during a Thursday, August 13, episode while promoting his new movie The Rivals of Amziah King. He described the Kate Hudson rom-com as “the gift that keeps on giving,” pointing to its steady residuals, consistent airline rotation, and long-running popularity in sorority houses and college dorms.

“I still get paid out the wazoo,” McConaughey said, laughing at the memory. “It’s wild. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.”

The conversation quickly circled back to the film’s cultural staying power. McConaughey noted that How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days helped him “own that genre” in a way that no other project has managed. He highlighted the movie’s massive presence in March — tied to Valentine’s Day — and how it still pulls in decent checks from cable, DVD, and streaming windows years after its release.

“Airline rotation, sorority-house popularity, larger March checks,” he explained, listing the factors that keep the film bringing in money long after it hit theaters in 2003.

McConaughey also shared a quick nod to his on-screen chemistry with Kate Hudson, the film’s star. The pair’s electric banter on screen made the rom-com feel fresh and fun even more than two decades later. He contrasted that with his dramatic turn in 2014’s Dallas Buyers Club, where he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, but admitted that How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days remains his most reliable financial anchor.

For fans who grew up with the film, the revelation is both charming and a little surprising. McConaughey has always been known for his leading-man roles in A Time to Kill, Interstellar, The Lincoln Lawyer, and beyond — but this 2003 hit has quietly become one of his most lucrative titles, proving that sometimes the simplest, most feel-good stories keep paying the bills long after the premiere.

The discussion also touched on how the film helped him “own that genre.” While he has starred in many romantic comedies since — including The Wedding Planner and Failure to Launch — How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days stands out as the one that launched him into rom-com fame and kept him there financially.

McConaughey didn’t just talk about the movie’s success — he emphasized its role in his career. “It let me own that genre,” he said, making it clear that the film wasn’t just a paycheck, but a creative anchor that defined a whole decade of his work.

Now, with The Rivals of Amziah King hitting theaters today, fans are watching McConaughey return to a leading role in a new kind of story — one that mixes bluegrass music, family drama, and rural Oklahoma life. But for those who grew up with him in rom-coms, hearing him call How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days his biggest “mailbox money” is a reminder that some of the best things in life (and in Hollywood) are the ones that keep giving long after the credits roll.

And apparently, even after all these years, Matthew McConaughey still gets paid just for existing in that particular world. The gift that keeps on giving, indeed.