Matthew Lawrence claimed that Gabrielle Union reported him to the studio while working on the 1999 TV film H-E Double Hockey Sticks.
During the “Magical Rewind” podcast episode on Monday, February 17, 45-year-old Lawrence shared a moment where he was unaware of a situation with Union. He recounted how Union had wanted to rehearse, but Lawrence, oblivious to the request, declined, saying, “No, I’m good.” This resulted in Union getting upset and reporting the incident to the director, Randall Miller, and the studio.
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.
Lawrence expressed surprise at being called into the office for the first time in his career, as he typically advocates for the rights of children and women. He explained that typically, he is the one fighting for such causes, making this particular incident unfamiliar and unexpected for him.
Lawrence explained that he turned down rehearsing with Union because he was nervous about running his lines.
Reflecting on the experience, Lawrence shared that while he usually enjoys memorizing lines and understanding the nuances of a scene, he disliked rehearsing as it felt like it drained the freshness out of the performance. He noted that despite this incident affecting him at the time, he now feels more resilient and less affected by such situations.
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.
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.
