Kate Hudson's a mom now --and nobody's fool

Kate Hudson's girl-next-door has moved out of the neighbourhood and into the adult world. The transition came when the 28-year-old Almost Famous Oscar nominee became a divorced mother and then an Owen Wilson heartbreaker last year.


That particular breakup was one of the factors, apparently, that led to Wilson's attempting suicide last summer. Which in turn prompted all kinds of accusations of who had done what to whom during their courtship. Word was that Wilson became emotionally troubled over seeing pictures of his ex with then boyfriend Dax Shepherd. Thankfully, for all concerned, the fuss has subsided and the actress wants to keep it that way. In fact, Hudson would just as soon put all that melodrama behind her and focus on her tasks at hand, such as raising her son, Ryder, and getting on with her career.


"People write whatever they are going to write, and you have to laugh," Hudson says. "Some like to be mean, which is a shame, but I go the old karma route: They will live with that, and I'll just continue knowing my truth."


She also knows that her new film, Fool's Gold, should have a decent following. In the romantic comedy, Hudson re-teams with How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days co-star Matthew Mc-Conaughey.


They play an estranged couple who decide to get back together when they both discover a clue that might lead them to a lost Caribbean treasure. It's not exactly a sequel, but the plucky Hudson says the action-adventure premise is the only one both actors would agree to do.


"I was so excited to play the exacerbated and tough ex of his," says the actress. "The rea-son How to Lose a Guy worked was because we loved being exasperated by each other."


Audiences enjoyed their version of the battling twosome, as well. In 2003, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days earned a surprising $177.4-million worldwide.


Fool's Gold has the same potential based solely on the duo's chemistry, which director Andy Tennant figures has more to do with their differences than their similarities, which in turn translates onscreen.


"Matthew always seems surprised by the way his day unfolds, whereas Kate is articulate, driven and focused," Tennant says.


Those attributes have helped Hudson during some rough patches during the past few years, including her divorce from rocker Chris Robinson, her subsequent relationship with Wilson and all the hearsay that went with both.


Through it all, she maintained her sense of humour and perspective, filming Fool's Gold, then teaming up with Dane Cook for My Best Friend's Girl, which is set for a fall release. And she's about to start filming the satire Bride Wars, with Anne Hathaway, in which former friends get down and dirty as wedding competitors.


So, despite the tabloid titillations to the contrary, her life is usually pretty good.


"The one thing that is very different about being a single mom is dating," she says. "But I would rather be home with my son, cooking dinner, than going out with a guy."


And when she does date again, he'll have to understand her priorities. "My child is always first," she says. Not that it's all lollipops and rainbows with Ryder.


"He was having a grumpy breakfast moment one day, and it was not like him and I just got so mad," a self-deprecating Hudson recalls. "My line was, 'We are happy people. Do you understand me?'


"It was the most unhappy morning," she recalls grimacing, then grinning. "And that was the only thing I could come up with -- we are happy people."