Kate Hudson is woozy from withdrawal. But it's not what you think. Hollywood's latest romantic comedy queen has never had a problem with drugs and alcohol. But, as she sits clutching a bottle of Evian water in her Beverly Hills hotel suite, she admits that giving up cigarettes and coffee on the eve of a promotional blitz for her new movie "Alex & Emma" might not have been such a bright idea.


"I haven't had one cigarette today," she says proudly. "I had three yesterday, but I've been really good. When I stopped, my whole face broke out, which made me go, 'You know what, I've got to stop smoking! I've either got to stop or start again!'" Hudson giggles, a trademark she shares with her famous mother, Goldie Hawn.


"So I'm on a whole weird cleansing thing. I've stopped caffeine, too. I'll only have decaf. When I finished my last movie, I thought, 'I want to clean out.' So, here I am, on a big clean-out regimen, busy kicking habits."


Kicking habits isn't the only thing that has been keeping the young actress busy these days. Hudson seems to be on a one-woman mission to resurrect the romantic comedy.


February's "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days" with Matthew McConaughey stunned industry insiders by scoring more than $100 million at the box office.


Hudson already has another romantic comedy in the pipeline awaiting release - Garry Marshall's "Raising Helen" with John Corbett. But first up is "Alex & Emma," an ambitious love fest from director Rob Reiner.


In the movie, due in theaters Friday, Hudson plays a stenographer who goes to work for a down-on-his-luck novelist (Luke Wilson) struggling to finish his latest book in 30 days.


Over the course of the film, which is loosely based on the true story of how Feodor Dostoevski fell for his typist, Hudson plays three other characters, bringing to life the women from the 1920s-set novel that Wilson is writing.


"There's Swedish Elsa, German Eldora, and Spanish Ylva," says Hudson, 24. "To go from character to character, you totally lose yourself in each one. I just had so much fun."


Hudson jumped at the opportunity to work with Reiner, who helmed a handful of her favorite films. "He did 'Princess Bride,' 'Spinal Tap,' 'When Harry Met Sally,' and 'A Few Good Men.' ... He's made so many great movies in so many different genres."


Another draw for Hudson was the chance to work with Wilson, who recently scored a hit in "Old School." The actors met four years ago when they were invited to a Eurythmics concert by their respective agents. Instead of listening to the music, they found themselves sharing a beer at the Staples Center bar. Afterward, they remained close friends.


All of this togetherness has led some to suspect that Hudson, who is married to former Black Crowes lead singer Chris Robinson, once enjoyed a fling with Wilson.


"We are always asked that," she says. "We never did, but we were saying the other day, 'I wish that we had. It would've made for such a better story.'


"We were in the car going to the MTV awards last week, and he was driving me crazy. He was driving me nuts, and I said, 'I'm so happy nothing ever happened between us because you would've driven me nuts!' As a friend, you can drive me crazy. As a lover, I'm out."


On the set of "Alex & Emma," the duo's friendship almost got in the way of them pulling off a convincing love scene.


"When we had to kiss in the movie, it was really hard for me," Hudson admits. "When he went in for the kiss, I just started to laugh. He was so defeated. He said, 'Why are you laughing? I'm kissing you.' But it was like kissing my brother."


For his part, Wilson has nothing but admiration for Hudson. "I can laugh with her a lot because she's so easygoing," he says. "I also feel like she's a pretty savvy person. I think Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell must have been very good parents. Hollywood is probably a weird town to grow up in as a kid, let alone to have famous parents. But she's just a good person."


From Hawn and Russell, Hudson learned some important lessons about the movie biz. (The actress rarely speaks to her biological father, rock singer Bill Hudson.)


"I believe I have an understanding of what this business is," she says. "I know what it's like to be hot one second and then, you turn around, and it's not like that the next. It's a roller coaster ride for everybody.


"Being famous is not what drives me to be an actor. If, in 10 years, no one was interested in me or my life, I'll still be acting in whatever I can because that's what I love to do."


Hudson's rise to the top was relatively quick. After appearing in a handful of teen films like "200 Cigarettes" and "Desert Blue," she aced the role of groupie Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe's bittersweet comedy, "Almost Famous."


The movie, which earned her a best supporting actress Oscar nomination, remains the favorite of all the films she's made.


"It changed my whole career," says Hudson. "It changed everything for me. It was such a great learning experience. And I just feel so honored that I got to be in my favorite Cameron Crowe film.


"When you're dreaming about being an actor, and you watch films and you love films, you say to yourself, 'I wish that was me in that movie. I want to play that character,' and then, when you actually experience one of those films - that's a really profound feeling."


Hudson was, in fact, a last-minute replacement for Sarah Polley, who dropped out of the film on the eve of shooting. Hudson, who was set to play a much smaller role, had no fear about taking over the female lead.


"At a table reading I did once with Kevin Kline, he said, 'You're just not intimidated at all, are you, by anything?'" recalls Hudson, beaming at the memory . "And I said, 'No, I'm not. Why be intimidated?' I want to be able to give it all to whoever wants it at any particular time. I like being uninhibited."



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