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“This is the only time in my life when I was called into the office for something I did on set,” said the Boy Meets World alum of the alleged incident, before explaining his behavior.
Matthew Lawrence is reflecting on an on-set incident from his early days in Hollywood.
While appearing on the Magical Rewind podcast, Lawrence claimed that Gabrielle Union reported him to the studio while the pair were 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 alleged. “And I was like, ‘No, I’m good.'”
Lawrence claimed that Union was upset with him about not wanting to prepare with her and complained to the movie’s higher-ups.
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“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.”
As for why he turned down rehearsing with Union, the Boy Meets World alum explained it was 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,” and wasn’t as concerned with running the lines then and there.
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When he did meet with the movie’s leadership, Lawrence said he explained his side of the story — claiming that while they were understanding about the situation, the actor felt “embarrassed” by the ordeal.
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, meanwhile, said he had no idea about the situation between Lawrence and Union.
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And despite their alleged disagreement, Lawrence shared that he could tell that she was going to be a big star at some point, with the film serving as the precursor to some of Union’s biggest roles, including 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.
Union has yet to publicly address Lawrence’s comments.
