Natalie Martinez is sharing what it’s really like to play the fictionalized wife of Matthew McConaughey on the Apple TV+ comedy Brothers.
The show — “based on a true rumor” that Woody Harrelson, 65, and McConaughey, 56, might actually be related — offers a fictionalized take on their iconic real-life friendship. And Martinez, 42, got her own inspiration for the role from McConaughey’s wife of 14 years, Camila Alves.
“I got to talk to her and hang out with her a couple times,” Martinez exclusively told Us of spending time with the model and designer, 43, on set. “She’s a very secure and grounded person, like, she just seems very comfortable in herself and in her body, and just so beautiful. So I kind of tried to implement that into the character as well.”
The show centers on the family dynamics of the McConaughey and Harrelson clans and explores the actors’ decades-long friendship. And Martinez says the quirky plot is more fact than fiction.
“I think it all comes from a very grounded place and a very real place,” she shared. “You know, when I was doing scenes with Matthew, he would explain to me ‘something like this really actually happened!’ So I think it’s heavily influenced by their real life.”
For Martinez, who is known for high-intensity thrillers like Bad Monkey, working on the lighthearted comedy was a refreshing change of pace. “This is definitely something different, but I’m totally loving it,” the actress said. “It’s pushing me out of my comfort zone. … We don’t have these kinds of family comedy shows as much anymore where you have this good kind of family dynamic. There are enough stressors in the world right now.”
There are plenty of cheeky references to McConaughey and Harrelson’s cowboy/hippie personas (yes, there are bongos). And Martinez shares that it’s easy to see why the two could be mistaken for real-life siblings.
“On set we got to see a whole different side of them … a whole different side of Matthew when he’s with Woody and vice versa. You can just see the love and kinship that they have together,” she revealed. “There was a scene that we did where they got to play tennis and you got to really see their competitive side, and they really are like brothers! The way they talk, the way they mess with each other, the way they fight, the whole thing. It was a lot of fun.”
Martinez added: “It was a real, real pleasure to work with them. They’re just real down-to-earth, cool guys.”
Because the series was filmed mostly in a luxurious Austin-area home, the cast bonded like family. “There were a lot of scenes where all of us were there, and those days were a lot of fun because we all got to hang out and talk and play games or do a TikTok,” Martinez told Us.
“Woody and his daughters came around, and his wife as well. We would go do things on the side as well, like, go to comedy shows or go have dinners,” she shared. “Even the McConaugheys would come and visit set sometimes. … We got our quality time in.”
Brothers airs Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
