Matthew Lawrence claimed that Gabrielle Union reported him to the studio while working on the 1999 TV film H-E Double Hockey Sticks.
“There was this one moment where — and I’m oblivious, I had no idea — and [Union] wanted to rehearse,” Lawrence, 45, alleged on the Monday, February 17, episode of the “Magical Rewind” podcast. “And I was like, ‘No, I’m good.’”
Lawrence claimed that Union, now 52, was upset with him about not wanting to prepare with her and complained to the movie’s higher-ups.
“She got angry and went and reported me to the director [Randall Miller] and the studio,” Lawrence said. “The only time in my entire career because usually I’m the advocate, and I’m fighting for kids and women’s rights. This is the only time in my life when I was called into the office for something I did on set. And I had no clue.”
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Lawrence explained that he turned down rehearsing with Union because he was nervous about running his lines.
“At that point, in my mind — now I can do whatever, and nothing’s gonna [faze] me — [but] at that point in my mind, I really loved memorizing the lines, knowing all the beats,” he said. “But [I] hated running it, because it felt like it took all the freshness out of it.”
Lawrence shared he figured he would have the chance to complete multiple takes to work on his comedic timing to make sure it was “fresh.” When Lawrence met with the movie’s leadership, he explained his side of the story. While they were understanding about the situation, the actor confessed he felt “embarrassed” by the ordeal.
Us Weekly has reached out to Union for comment.
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In addition to Lawrence and Union, H-E Double Hockey Sticks also starred “Magical Rewind” podcast cohost Will Friedle and Rhea Perlman. The movie, which aired on ABC as part of the Wonderful World of Disney, follows a young demon (Friedle) who is tasked with stealing the soul of a young hockey player (Lawrence) who is trying to be the youngest person to win the Stanley Cup.
Friedle, 48, confessed during the podcast episode that he had no idea about the situation between Lawrence and Union. Despite their alleged disagreement, Lawrence shared that he could tell that she was going to be a big star at some point. (H-E Double Hockey Sticks came out before Union’s iconic roles in 10 Things I Hate About You, She’s All That and Bring It On).
“My point in all of this story is that she had some weight in the industry. I just didn’t know,” Lawrence admitted.
