Reese Witherspoon sets the record straight about her “Sweet Home Alabama” costar: 'That is not Matthew McConaughey'

Josh Lucas stars opposite Witherspoon in the 2002 romcom.

Reese Witherspoon is tired of people not recognizing her leading man from Sweet Home Alabama.

While revisiting her iconic roles with PEOPLE, the actress made sure to shut down a common misconception about her love interest in the 2002 romcom.

"All I want to say about Sweet Home Alabama is that is not Matthew McConaughey," Witherspoon told the outlet. "I know a lot of people think it's Matthew. Matthew always says, 'Everybody comes up to me and says, 'Are you in Sweet Home?' And I'm not.’ And I’m like, well, I know.”

Sorry McConaughey-truthers, but Witherspoon actually stars in the film opposite Yellowstone actor Josh Lucas. Unfortunately for him, McConaughey isn’t the only one getting confronted with this case of mistaken identity. Lucas previously recounted a fan interaction that nearly became a fight when he was recognized for his role in the movie, while still being confused for McConaughey.

“The weirdest story I have is, I once almost got into a fight with a guy because I refused to sign his autograph because he was basically telling me, ‘Hey, Matthew McConaughey, I need you to sign this autograph,’” the American Psycho actor recalled. “I was like, ‘I'm not Matthew McConaughey.’”

Though Lucas tried to explain the truth of his identity, the fan insisted otherwise and eventually concluded, “‘You’re an a--hole, McConaughey.’”

Identity mishaps aside, Lucas has said that he is game to return for a Sweet Home Alabama sequel — but only if Witherspoon can find the time.

“I would love to do the sequel,” Lucas said in 2021, during an appearance on SiriusXM's Pop Culture Spotlight. “The issue is Reese has got a book club. And I'm saying that like, laughingly, but Reese is, you know, I've heard like, 'Oh, you can talk to her about stuff five years from now, now.'... She's a mogul."

The romcom follows big shot New York fashion designed Melanie Smooter (Witherspoon) as she returns home to convince her ex Jake Perry (Lucas) to sign their divorce papers so she can get married to the city’s most eligible bachelor. But along the way, she finds herself falling back in love with the man she left behind.

Perhaps if Witherspoon finds the time, the love story of Melanie and Jake can continue. You can watch the actress revisit her other iconic roles in the video above.

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