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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →In March 2024, Brianna Ruffalo said she was “Team Patrick Dempsey” in Sweet Home Alabama, siding with Andrew over her then-boyfriend Josh Lucas’s character, Jake. Lucas joked that Ruffalo had always seen him as “the other guy” and once fell asleep during their attempt to watch the film. They married in July 2025, so “girlfriend” is now an outdated description.
Why Brianna Ruffalo chose Patrick Dempsey’s character
At the March 14, 2024, premiere of Palm Royale, Ruffalo gave E! News a concise answer when asked which side she took in Sweet Home Alabama: “I’m Team Patrick Dempsey.” She meant Andrew, played by Dempsey, rather than Jake, Lucas’s character. E! News reported the exchange on March 15, 2024.
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Lucas explained the reason playfully: Ruffalo disliked that Jake takes Melanie away from Andrew. Recalling her reaction to his role, he said, “From day one, she was like, ‘Oh yeah, you were the other guy,’”
The movie night that did not change her mind
Lucas also said the couple once tried to watch the film together, but Ruffalo fell asleep about ten minutes in. As he put it, “We actually watched part of it once and she fell asleep, like, 10 minutes in and was still like, ‘I’m still Team Patrick,’” The anecdote was part of a light exchange about their differing opinions, not a serious relationship dispute. A Yahoo page republishing People coverage likewise described Ruffalo joking that her preference was an “ongoing problem” in the relationship.
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Jake versus Andrew: the choice at the heart of the joke
In the 2002 romantic comedy, Reese Witherspoon plays Melanie, who returns to Alabama to seek a divorce from her estranged husband Jake while planning to marry Andrew. As Melanie and Jake reconnect, the story turns on which relationship she wants. Ruffalo’s preference was Andrew; the interview did not present it as a survey of viewers or a verdict shared by all fans.
| Character | Actor | Role in the choice Ruffalo discussed |
|---|---|---|
| Jake | Josh Lucas | Melanie’s estranged husband, and the character Ruffalo did not support in the romantic triangle. |
| Andrew | Patrick Dempsey | Melanie’s intended fiancé, and Ruffalo’s preferred choice. |
Why the original “girlfriend” wording is dated
E! called Ruffalo Lucas’s girlfriend in its 2024 story. In a later report dated October 23, 2025, the outlet described her as his wife and reported that they married in July 2025. The interview itself remains a March 2024 snapshot of their banter about the film, rather than a current account of their relationship status. E!’s October 2025 marriage report gives the later update.
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- New York fashion designer Melanie Carmichael suddenly finds herself engaged to the city's most eligible bachelor. But Melanie's past holds many secrets, including Jake, the redneck husband she married in high school, who refuses to divorce her. Bound and determined to end their contentious relationship once and for all, Melanie sneaks back home to Alabama to confront her past, only to discover tha
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