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Kate Hudson has lost none of the sparkling charm that she brought to her character Penny Lane in Almost Famous, the film that forever endeared her to audiences. She also delighted moviegoers with her work in light-hearted fare like Raising Helen; How to Lose a Guy In Ten Days; You, Me and Dupree; and Bride Wars.
In person, Hudson is refreshingly candid, enthusiastic and relaxed. She’s a woman very much in touch with who she is and what she wants from life. She credits her famous parents--stepfather Kurt Russell and, particularly, her mother Goldie Hawn—for endowing her with plenty of common sense and an independent sensibility. Now 37, Hudson is a happily single mother who gladly eased off on her film workload while wanting to spend more time looking after her sons Ryder, 12, and Bingham, 4.
“I’ve always been very athletic. My mother was a dancer before she got into acting and I’ve grown up with the idea that it’s important to exercise.”
Her most recent film, Mother’s Day, is directed by Garry Marshall (Valentine’s Day, Pretty Woman), and sees Hudson’s character, Jesse, trying to patch things up with her estranged mother while Jennifer Aniston is a divorcée looking for love and Julia Roberts is a childless TV host who chose work over family. How does Hudson put into perspective her own famous mother-daughter relationship?
“I’m very lucky that I’ve always had a good relationship with my mom,” Hudson says. “She’s been my rock and has taught me so much about life. And as an adult, she’s always been there for me to help calm me down when I went through anxious times as a mother myself and dealing with marriage and career issues. Even though, as a young girl you want to establish your own identity, I loved being very close to my mother and that hasn’t changed. I think that behind every good daughter there’s a loving mother.”
“I want to be as fit and healthy as I possibly can be, not just for my own well-being, but for my family and for my children.”
In addition to Mother’s Day, Kate recently co-starred opposite Bill Murray in Rock the Kasbah and voiced the character of Mei Mei in Kung Fu Panda 3. A long-time fitness devotee, Hudson has also written a New York Times best-selling book, Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body, which offers women sound advice on diet, fitness and personal wellness. And she is the founder of Fabletics, a stylish line of workout wear.
Hudson, a Los Angeles native, lives in L.A. with her sons Ryder (from her six-year marriage to Black Crowes’ lead singer Chris Robinson), and Bingham, from her relationship with Muse frontman Matt Bellamy that ended in 2014.
Q: Apart from your film career, you’ve recently written a wellness book, Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body. What was the inspiration?
Hudson: For a long time people have asked me about how I stay fit and this book was my way of sharing a lot of the things I’ve learned about taking care of my body and my philosophy about health and fitness.
Women face a lot of pressure and it’s important to find a good balance in life between work and family and enjoy a lifestyle that allows us to feel good about ourselves and not feel guilty about the choices we make.
Q: You’ve been celebrated of late as being one of the fittest women in Hollywood. Has fitness been a constant theme in your life?
Hudson: I’ve always been very athletic. My mother was a dancer before she got into acting and I’ve grown up with the idea that it’s important to exercise and I just feel better if I feel my body is fit and . . .
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