Given the huge success of their big-screen coupling on the romantic comedy hit "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson knew they'd be fools not to do another film together.

And while it's taken some time, the undeniably charming romantic chemistry between the stars on the big screen is glowing again with "Fool's Gold," new in theaters Friday. True to the film's theme, finding a project for fans to treasure was something that McConaughey and Hudson had to hunt for.

"We had been keeping our eyes open in the four years since we did 'How to Lose a Guy,' and a few things came by, but we didn't think they were right," McConaughey said in a recent @ The Movies interview. "I came onto 'Fool's Gold' first, and when we were talking about who'd be Tess, it was a no-brainer that Kate would be perfect for it. It was a great way for her and I to get back together and do something that we do really well."

McConaughey stars as Ben "Finn" Finnegan, a modern-day treasure hunter obsessed with finding the legendary 18th century Queen's Dowry, which is made up of 40 chests of priceless treasure that was lost at sea in 1715. Forever the optimist, Finn is confident that he'll find his riches, but it comes at a high price because it's cost him his marriage to Tess.

Fate can't keep them apart, however, as Finn surreptitiously lands on a yacht occupied by a billionaire, Nigel (Donald Sutherland), and his celebutante daughter, Gemma (Alexis Dziena) -- and that employs Tess. Now backed with the financial means from his newfound friends and civil cooperation from his ex-wife, the adventurer dives into the hunt again. The problem is, his mentor (Ray Winstone) and a dangerous former backer (Kevin Hart) are on Finn's tail.

While "Fool's Gold" re-teams McConaughey for the romantic sub-plot, it's a decidedly different film from "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" in that it also has adventure elements. McConaughey, who already was certified as a diver, earned his advanced certificate during film because "Fool's Gold" has a wealth of underwater scenes.

But, McConaughey discovered, the diving was only the half of it. There was also some action in this adventure, including fight scenes underwater -- without the aid of movie magic.

"When you're in the middle of it without goggles on and can't see because there are bubbles and sand kicking up all around you -- and you don't know whether you're upside down, where your spot guy is and you're running out of air, it's a real lesson in keeping your cool," McConaughey said, laughing. "There were a few times when I got to my air source where I really, really needed it."

While "Fool's Gold" is set in the Caribbean, the filming actually took place around the shores of Queensland, Australia. And while the proposition of running out of air was of enough concern to McConaughey and his fellow divers, it paled in comparison to the sudden influx of Irukandji jellyfish, which the actor said forced the production out of two different locations.

"It's the size of your pinky nail and they're translucent," McConaughey said. "If they sting you, it will attack your central nervous system and put you in the hospital. The pain is so bad, they say, that they'll put you on a morphine drip for 72 hours. There are even stories of people dying from the pain. Now that would suck."

And those weren't the only creatures McConaughey encountered while on the "Fool's Gold" shoot.

Some, in fact, hit very close to home.

"I was living in this great little beach guesthouse in Port Douglas, Queensland, and I had an 8-foot python in a coconut tree right outside of my door, and a 6 1/2-foot garden python in my garage," the Texas native recalled. "People just let them live and let live, and so did I. And, when I would go out swimming and scuba diving, there were some really nice sized sharks coming by. But luckily humans aren't on the menu because there is plenty of food there."