In 1979, when Kate Hudson was born, few would have guessed that she would one day be playing a rock band groupie in a film set six years earlier. Though Hudson is a relatively young actress, fairly new to the big screen, she is by no means just getting her feet wet in the world of showbiz. After all, Hudson closely resembles her mother, actress Goldie Hawn, and her father is actor/musician Bill Hudson. When Hawn moved in with Kurt Russell in 1983, Hudson had another father figure who worked on film and television. So it wasn't surprising when she decided to pursue a career in front of the camera.


Hudson first gained critics' attention in 1998 when she appeared in the independent film Desert Blue. It wasn't until a year later however, when Hudson starred in 200 Cigarettes, that she really made her splash. Since then she has appeared in Warner Bros.' Gossip and is currently wrapping up production on Dr. T and the Women for director Robert Altman.


Recently, Hudson sat down to talk with Reel.com about her latest film, director Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous, in which she plays adolescent groupie, Penny Lane.


Q: The first question has to be an obvious one. 1973 ... you weren't born yet ... so do you think you have a more objective viewpoint of what was going on during that time period and did you have to do any research?


Kate Hudson: I did enough research to where I really felt like I understood 1973. Especially the world that we were living in for the six months that we were shooting. I also think that every time period is the same. Everybody does the same thing; you laugh, you cry, you scandal, all the stuff that goes on. I think in 1973 there was a struggle to be free, and politically there was so much going on. It was actually the end of it, but there was such great music being made because of the energy that was flying around at that time.


Q: What do you think the mystique is behind rock bands?


KH: There are two answers to that. Bad bands - people who aren't really making music, where it's just a show, where the people don't write their own music, and even if they do it's not very good - I think people gravitate to them because they're famous or they're hip at the time. Real rock bands, I think people gravitate to them because their music moves them and makes them feel a part of something greater.


Q: Well then, do you understand Penny's mentality who is so enthralled with rock musicians? Or do you feel sorry for people like her?


KH: I don't feel sorry for them. I think there's an element to that lifestyle that's very sad, or I should say bittersweet. You have to ask yourself, what is it that makes you want to go into that world that is crazy and setting you up for heartbreak? It's a different breed of person, I think. Then there's the other side of it, when you love music so much that it never leaves you. Somebody like Penny Lane, who I met, it will never leave her, it will always be a part of her life and that's incredible.


Q: When the real Penny Lane, who director Cameron Crowe based your character on, showed up on set, what insight did she give you into playing the character?


KH: None, we didn't really talk about the character. She came about a week before we finished, so when I met her it truly made it a reality for me. Because she was the character I was playing and even though I'm playing Penny Lane, I think there were other people he incorporated into my character. The most bizarre thing was seeing her with Cameron, because it was like looking at Patrick and me. She looked at Cameron as if she were saying, "I am so happy for you." It was so amazing to watch.


Q: You're at the beginning of your career. What does working with someone such as Cameron Crowe provide you with as an actor?


KH: For me I think the amazing thing about Cameron is it's different for everybody. Cameron works very differently with each actor. I watched him so closely; the way he worked with Billy [Crudup] was different, the way he worked with Patrick [Fugit] and nurtured him. With me, I think we worked on a very personal level. He could tell me anything and he knew that. He could say, "This might sound like horrible direction, but do this please." And I did. We were very close when it came to that. I felt so close to the character because I worked so hard on it during the month of rehearsal. When we got on the set, it was so there that it was easy for us and we communicated very well together.


Q: This movie isn't just about music, is it? It's really an unrequited love story isn't it?


KH: When I saw the movie, I was in such shock. The movie is not about a rock-and-roll band. That's the backdrop. It's a love story. It's a love triangle; from Billy's character to Patrick's character to mine. I think the message, which is very profound, is, at the end of day, what do you have? Your relationships with the people you love. Cameron is so amazing with love stories and so real with them. The moments that people share together that are real are what I think Cameron is so amazing at picking up.


Q: Do you remember the first record you bought?


KH: I do and it's really embarrassing. There are actually two that I bought myself with my own money; "Starlight Starbright" by Madonna and a little Van Halen's "Jump."


Q: While you were growing up, how restrictive were your parents when it came to your music?


KH: I didn't listen to rap. My brother did. A lot of it my parents wouldn't let him listen to, because - more or less it wasn't about him listening to it - it was about the profanity emanating through the house. But my parents were very open and free and we could listen to anything we wanted to.


Q: Did it bother you how disposable some of these women were in the musicians' lives in Almost Famous?


KH: No, I think these women were very aware of what they were getting into. You can't walk into the world of rock and roll and not be aware of what you're getting into. I think they weren't blinded by what they knew was inevitable. It's almost like you have the rock band and then you have this other band, which is all the girls and they know what they've gotten themselves into. From my perspective, sometimes I find it a little degrading, but I believe that women are strong enough to make their own decisions.


Q: One of the magical moments on this film is when everybody starts singing Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" on a tour bus. What was shooting that scene like for you?


KH: The bus was so hot. Can I just say that every day on this movie for me was such an experience and I was so happy to have worked everyday? I loved working with every person on this movie. I felt so close to it and everyone working on it. I think that brought a lot to what we did on set. The day on the bus, we shot it on location and went back to do more of it in the studio. So many people were embarrassed to sing and Cameron said, "Guys ... sing! Yell!" Once everybody got it out of them, singing like crazy to the song, that's when everybody started having fun. We did a thing called "rock school" where all the guys learned how to play their music and that really brought us together.


Q: If you could date a rock band, who would it be?


KH: Can I go back? Because then it would be the Rolling Stones and Keith would be my man.


Q: Sexiness, charm, and great confidence, that's the way Cameron Crowe described you. Do you believe that about yourself?


KH: Wow! You know what, now I believe anything Cameron says. If Cameron says it, then I just got paid a huge compliment.
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