Kate HudsonThe daughter of Goldie Hawn—and stepdaughter of Kurt Russell—got a taste of motherhood while filming Raising Helen. After filming ended, Hudson learned that she was pregnant with her first child.by Joan Brasher |
posted 5/21/2004
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In Raising Helen, Kate Hudson plays a young fashion executive who, after the tragic death of her sister and brother-in-law, takes on the role of guardian of their surviving three children. Faced with the new struggles of quasi-parenthood, Hudson, in playing the character, was learning a bit about the challenges of motherhood. And just in time: Shortly after wrapping up the filming, Hudson learned she was pregnant with her first child, with husband Chris Robinson of the rock group The Black Crowes. Their son Ryder was born in January 2004, and was just three months old when Hudson sat down with members of the religious press—including Christianity Today Movies—for this interview.
Kate Hudson and Abigail Breslin in Raising Helen
Was this film destiny for you in a way, to learn about motherhood?
Kate Hudson: No, I always wanted to be a mom. But when I read the script it obviously hit home for me, coming at a time when I was thinking about having kids. So it kind of fit in perfectly to my mindset at the time.
Did you learn anything?
Hudson: Not really. I was playing a character. I learned from my parents. They are my biggest support system. But I did have moments when I was in the mix of the three kids all talking to me at once, and I was thinking, Is this what my life is going to be like this? All this craziness?
How has motherhood changed your life?
Hudson: It's the most incredible thing … it's overwhelmingly beautiful. And nobody ever tells you how hard it is going to be. But it's amazing.
What kind of hard stuff?
Hudson: When you're nursing and you're working 18-hour days, that's pretty hard.
What was it like working with the kids in the movie?
Hudson: It was great. They were so professional and yet, still kids. Abigail [Breslin, who played Bo in Signs] was so adorable and so good. She cried at the drop of a hat. She was so focused. When she had to do what she had to do, she really worked hard at it. And Spencer [Breslin] was hysterical. And Hayden [Panettiere] is at that age that I remember so well—13-ish where you want to be an adult and want to be taken seriously, but people don't treat you like it, so you overcompensate.
I heard the kids TP'd your trailer.
Hudson: It was hysterical. I've never been TP'd that bad either. It was great. We had so much fun. I'm sure I did retaliate, but I don't remember now what I did.
How do you feel about the movie now that you are a mom?
Hudson: I just saw it again for the first time since I had the baby, and I'm so happy that I wasn't a mom when I made the movie because it would have been a very different character. It was so much more emotional for me as a mother than it was when I saw it when I was pregnant. I was very emotional.
Were you surprised that your love interest in the movie was going to be a member of the Lutheran clergy?
Hudson: [Laughter] Yes. But when I found out it was John Corbett, I was pretty happy about it.
Do you think he is sexy?
Hudson: Absolutely. He is a sexy man of God [quoting from movie].
Was it scary for you to carry the film?
Hudson: I didn't really think about it like that. I read the script and I went, Oh, this would be great to play this character. It's rare when you are 24 years old that you get to play characters like that. There's really not that kind of material out there, so when the opportunity comes to do a script like that, it's a no-brainer. More complicated roles come when you are in your mid-30s. In your 20s, it's few and far between.
Do you recall being on the set in 1987 when Garry Marshall directed your parents in Overboard?
Hudson: He's such a fantastic character, you don't forget him. Overboard was such a family thing, almost like this one, with all the kids. It was a great and memorable experience.
How do you feel about where you are in your career right now?
Hudson: I have to look at my career and my life like this: When I'm done with a movie, I take the experience, I wipe my hands clean of it and I do what I have to do. I go and I do my job. It's great when I like the film; I love this film. I think it's so timely and as a mom now, it just feels so right.
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