Romance Working for Cruz, McConaughey
April 8, 2005 — -- A workplace romance was "Gigli" bad for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. It was "Far and Away" a mistake for Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. But Matthew McConaughey and Penélope Cruz intend to stay in "The Loop."
Hollywood's hot new lovebirds still deny they were dating early last year while filming "Sahara," despite reams of gossip. But even before the box office verdict on their new film, which opens today, they've decided to play lovers again in anther movie. So much for taking it slow.
The two stars have signed on for the big-screen adaptation of Joe Coomer's offbeat novel, "The Loop." McConaughey will play a Texas highway worker who searches for the parents he never knew with the help of Cruz, a quirky librarian.
Dating a co-star is always good for quick publicity, but it often backfires. Affleck and Lopez had agreed to star in their second film, "Gigli," even before their first film, "Jersey Girl," was released.
The public had overdosed on nonstop Bennifer updates by the time "Gigli" hit theaters. "Jersey Girl" -- which had its release pushed back -- was all but resigned to public slaughter when it finally saw the light of day. Lopez didn't even bother to attend promotional events, leaving a good-natured Affleck to explain how awkward it was for him to see scenes where he's making out with his former fiancée.
The fate of more than one future film might be riding on McConaughey and Cruz's personal and professional future together. If successful, "Sahara" is the sort of movie that would be turned into a franchise of sequels. The film certainly seems eager to appeal to "Raiders of the Lost Ark" fans.
"That's the reason I got into this," McConaughey says. "We want a franchise, we want a sequel, we want more than a sequel, we want two, three, four, five, six of them, please."
McConaughey has been absolutely giddy about the prospects of starring in an action movie series. But, of course, in April 2003, when he signed on for the project, he had no idea he'd be trying to launch a film franchise and start a relationship at the same time.
