Matthew McConaughey stars in the new romantic comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past as Connor, an incorrigible bachelor who is trying to convince his brother not to get married. Connor is about to succeed the night before the wedding when he is visited by three of his ex-girlfriends’ ghosts who show him his past, present, and lonely future in hopes that there is still time he can change his ways and reunite with his true love, played by Jennifer Garner.

McConaughey and Garner chatted about motherhood, marriage and stardom.

Q: Can you tell us about motherhood now with a second baby home?

Garner: It’s the same thing, but crazier. Everything is going really well, thank you very much. Everyone is happy and healthy. It’s only one more, but it feels like three more. The second child is easier, the experience is easier, but the overall thing is just chaos; happy chaos.

Q: What makes this film different from other romantic comedies?

McConaughey: The ghosts were a big unrealistic theme, but it’s one of the things that made this one original. Usually, it’s just a guy and girl who split up and get back together at the end, and hopefully you are entertained on how we get together at the end. This had a few different twists. We had ghosts, and I go get the fiancée to get back together with my brother to get them married, and then am lucky enough to get a second chance with my childhood sweetheart. It was skewed in some really interesting ways.

Q: Did you relate to your character at all or have anyone in particular you thought of for inspiration?

Garner: I never had a problem resisting somebody that I knew was going to break my heart. Going after the bad guy has not been a real issue for me. One thing I liked about the role was that it sounded like a version of conversations that I have had with tons of girlfriends where I say, ‘Stay away from him. Leave it alone, it’s never going to happen.’ And they would say, ‘I can’t, I see what he could be.’ That made it fun.

McConaughey: There wasn’t someone I thought of besides the Uncle Wayne character that was written in. And he was sort of this Bob Evans type. He’s got some brilliant dialogue in the movie. To master his advice and take it to show who Connor should be. It’s a fun role. In the first twenty pages you usually don’t get a character who starts off with that much bite. You go, ‘I can’t believe they said that.’ So it comes off in the beginning with a lot of more bite and less pander than most stories like this do. And then I enjoyed the further distance to go through. Then you have ghosts that come in and scare the hell out of me and scare some sense into me. That is a much better movie device for me than having a conversation where they sit down and say, ‘Now what you should do.’ So, no one in particular, besides the Uncle Wayne character to look up to. And the viewers get to see who my father figure is, and why I am the way I am, and why I do what I do.

Q: Speaking of father figures, what advice did your father give you?

McConaughey: Respecting women. I think I was asked recently what the ‘birds and bees talk’ was like. It was always Pop talking about respecting a woman. I think I have said this to you (to Garner) before.

Garner: You want me to tell it for you?

McConaughey: Yes, would you tell it?

Garner: He (McConaughey’s father) said, look your coming of an age where you are going to start to have different kinds of feelings towards women, and you are going to have certain desires. When you are with a woman, if she even hesitates for split second, stop. Don’t go any further and don’t ask. Leave it totally alone. Don’t go back there tonight, that night, leave it absolutely alone. Chances are she is going to want to come back, say 'no.' But absolutely respect women and in doing that; you will respect yourself.

McConaughey: Bingo. That’s what he said.

Q: What was it like working with Michael Douglas?

McConaughey: It was a ball working with him. I really enjoyed some of the time off set between shots talking about producing and just the movie business as a whole. I learned a lot of cool things from him just talking about the film business, the experiences he had with Wall Street (1987), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), just things like that.

Q: What was it like being invisible?

McConaughey: You actually get more freedom.

Garner: It was weirdly nice to have you there as invisible. It felt like you were the audience of one. It just gave it a different twist. I liked it.

McConaughey: That was really fun when you are getting married, and I am right there in your face. It was fun to do. And we talked about what were the rules. To be yelling while she is having a conversation with a guy behind me. It was different. You just got to ignore me.

Garner: Maybe that’s just my dream to completely ignore you.

Q: What is your ideal date?

McConaughey: It has to do with food. And I am cooking it, and my date is cooking it. We are trying to make is last as long as possible so we can have a glass a wine. And the later it comes, the better it tastes, because you are really hungry. Maybe something fresh on the meat side, but other than that, basically we want to clean out the fridge. We might bake some or use the grill. And we may end up with everything in the same pot by the time it’s time to eat.

Garner: I could have told you that. One bowl and fork; and you’re good to go. It’s the McConaughey way.

Q: The film deals with the angst of weddings and how they are supposed to be joyous events. Do you have any personal experiences with that?

McConaughey: I’ve been to a couple weddings where the coolest people days before the wedding were so mellow, and then the day of the wedding they were freaking out. Not about getting married, but about the things that are going wrong at the time. I guess you are walking a tight rope then. 

Garner: I am usually part of the disaster if I am bridesmaid, which I have been lucky enough to be several times. One time I had my dress altered and had not tried it on again since, and there was four to six inches left of the hem. So we had to duct tape it up, but last minute. I never get ready until the last minute because I am hanging out and chatting and doing girls’ makeup, which I should not be doing. Another time, I went to walk down the aisle and the curlers were still in my hair. So I am not a good bridesmaid in that way.

McConaughey: But I bet you didn’t freak out when that stuff happened.

Garner: No, I just said, ‘Does anyone have duct tape, screw a needle and thread.” And the curlers in my hair are going to come out, and I am going to have very bouncy ringlets that will make the pictures funny.

Q: Are you going to be a groom in the future?

McConaughey: Am I getting married in the future? Not today and no, I do not have any plans for it. I was asked this earlier; it’s not an institution I am against at all. I am actually for it. I have seen it be very healthy for many relationships, and people go through it in great ways. It is just not something I am planning on doing right now, and that I feel like I need to do right now. I am not against it, at all.

Q: Is movie stardom everything you thought it would be?

McConaughey: I never had an expectation because I didn’t know what the hell it was about. I didn’t even know I was going to be acting until I was 21. I like how it’s going. I’m happy. I love my job, and I am starting to like it more than I used to. I think because I understand it a little bit better. I understand now how my job is more like the rest of my life and where it’s different and separate. Sometimes I want it to be very seamless with where I am in my own life. And other times I want it to be a complete trip for me. A journey away from where I am. I am enjoying it. I don’t have much of a strong opinion on the attention because it’s inevitable. And I personally don’t choose to retreat or go hide out. I don’t get emotional about it. It’s something that’s inevitable unless I can work on changing some laws. I am going to just take a breath and go do what I do anyway.

Garner: I certainly never expected to be in front of a camera one day of my life, even when I was studying acting. I wouldn’t even go into the film school, I was only back stage. I was a total snob. And when I moved to New York and was trying to get a job on stage and was broke, I got offered a TV movie role. I was like, ‘hot dog, put me in front of the camera, let’s do it.’ Now that it has continued to evolve, I too love my job and just looking at it as a working mom, there are a lot of great things about what I do as a mom. I work really intensely for awhile, but in a way and place where people are very respectful of me and my kids. If I need to take a break to feed a baby they let me, which isn’t always the case for women in the corporate world. I have help, and have the support I need. I have a great partner in raising kids, and he is super involved and there with me. And then I just got to take nine months off from work. And who do you know gets to do that? So, so far so good.