On her family and childhood
"The thing about Bill, my other dad, is that he wasn't really in our lives very much. I didn't know him really well.
I didn't understand it. My brother didn't understand it. He was sort of in and out of our lives."
"I have zero problems when people say, 'God, you look like your mother.' I go, 'Well, great! Thanks!'"
"I would never let my mom do my hair, she would always make my pony tail bumpy."
"My mother has given more to people than anyone I've ever met. It's very easy to
make people cry, but there is nothing harder to do than make someone smile. And
it's a gift, whether it belongs to Goldie Hawn or Meryl Streep... or myself."
"Growing up I thought my mom was the coolest mom thing on the planet."
[on being compared to Goldie] "To me, she's my mommy. She popped me out and raised me and so I
don't think of things like that. Yes, of course, my mother is probably one of the greatest female
comediennes of all time and that makes me proud but more important are the things she's taught us
as a mom. What more could you ask for?"
"I would love to work with my Pa. I think he's such a wonderful actor, and obviously working with my mom would be great.
They're both so talented. But it's not something we're actively looking for."
[On what got her into acting] "I think that even people who knew me before I knew I wanted to act, probably knew that I was going to do it. Because I was always performing
and doing something. I was all over the place as a child; I was always singing songs to somebody or dancing or doing a thing that I saw on "The Harvey Sisters"
or something. I really was always 'on.'"
"We'd go home after parties and we'd have to laugh at how some of these people lived and how they treated their
kids. It's a business where people are so me me me, they forget where the focus should be"
"I always knew I wanted to act. And there was never a thought about not doing it because my mother was
such a big star. We were just encouraged to do what we wanted."
"My parents told me 'if you ever believe anything anybody ever tells you about who you are, what
you are, your image or if they hate you or love you, you're going to be miserable. You do your
job no matter what you do, you do it the best you can and you go home and really concern yourself
with your homelife because that's where people blossom as people. Not when you're being berated or elated'.
“People ask me that, about my parents, growing up. I don’t ever remember a defining moment where I understood
what my parents did. It was their job, like anybody.”
"It was just a normal childhood, really. We'd get on an airplane and go to Colorado. And literally Mom would make stew."
"We were close in age and hated each other immensely for a while. Oliver was so charming and that always bugged me
so much when he was little because he could get away with anything. I was too up front and honest. I hated him for
being too charming and he just hated me back." [on Oliver]
"My parents would not let us come on set unless we had a job so we'd either work in wardrobe or the camera department,
or as a gopher or a PA (personal assistant). Everybody thinks a film set is all fun and games but objectively
everybody's working really hard, really long hours and when kids come on set it can be sometimes difficult for people
to work so, with my parents, if we were there, we went to work. And for me, that's what made me fall in love with making
movies – I enjoy being on a movie set and that's because I enjoy all aspects of it."
"I have zero problems when people say, 'god, you look like your mother'. I go, 'well, great, thanks!'. As I get older
the resemblance gets spookier. There are times when we look so much alike that it freaks us both out."
"My mom and dad are a really good template on how to keep a relationship through everything... They just have a
blast together, no matter what. They just know how to do it."
"Kids need stability. My parents never dragged us around and I don't plan on doing it either. They did such a good
job. We had so much fun growing up and I still have so much fun with my family. I only hope that our kids have as
much fun as we did. There's nothing like it."
On her ex-husband, Chris Robinson
"Everyday, I tell my husband, 'Maybe we should cash in. I'll make handmade lotion and you can write music and sell it on the Internet.'"
"Chris and I love to sing and play the guitar when we sing him [Ryder] a lullaby. We sing him these really
pretty songs like George Jones' 'Just One More'. It sounds good. And it makes him sleepy, but
the song is about an alcoholic. Maybe we shouldn't be singing that to a five-month-old child!"
"I love that man sooo much, it's ridiculous. Like, I want to eat him up. With a spoon! And,
like, jump into his skin. I'm not kidding - I could be just like totally s---house crazy!
That's what Chris says they call it down South."
"If you knew Chris, and if you saw us together, there is not one person I know that doesn't get
it. I got really lucky really young is how I look at it. It put me so at peace".
"We hung out together in New York, I went home for my birthday and I came back three days
later, and I brought three huge suitcases and my dog and I just moved in." [on getting together with Chris]
"It takes a grown-up to be able to realise that something’s not working. The transition with children is
when you get scared. It’s a huge decision. Well, I still love [Ryder’s] dad. It’s that simple. Daddy and
I still spend lots of time together."
"I love Chris to pieces. He's my first huge love. I spent seven years with Chris. I was 20 when I met him.
We still talk every day. He still cracks me up. And Ryder feels that."
On Ryder, pregnancy and motherhood
"I can't wait until it's time to find fun and stylish maternity wear. I'm actually more excited about dressing as a pregnant woman. You get to present something so completely female."
"Being a mom is really hard, and you make mistakes all the time, and you have to just chug through it."
"[Ryder's] great. It's so much fun! He's getting so big and it's happening so fast. We don't
spend much time in Los Angeles. We spend a lot of time in New York, but we're pretty much on the
road experiencing our life."
[On balancing family with career] "You just want to be home and be available at all times for your baby. But you
make it happen."
"Well, I am restricted. The question is, does it bother me? And it doesn’t at all. I’m a mom and that’s my first
priority. There are a lot of people who say, ‘Do you know what I did for you? Have you any idea about the things
I gave up?’ I could never be like that."
"As for dating as a single mum: “Any guy I ever meet is always going to come second to my son,. And you get to weed out
the boys from the men. You definitely know which ones are the boys."
"I know more about them than my brothers sometimes. I’ve never been more excited to be a soccer mom. And I will
totally be the snack mom – that’s going to be the best part." [on sports and being a soccer mom]
"It's a real mix between Chris and me. Chris is sharp funny, kind of like a jokester, whereas I am like more physically
funny, and he's got a little bit of both." [on Ryder's personality]
"When you see your kids happy, that’s the moment when you realize, ‘Ah! I am so…there is nothing else on the planet
I would rather be doing than watch my child be this happy at this moment.’ That’s the great and true reward for
everything."
"The one thing that is very different about being a single mom is dating. But I would rather be home with my son,
cooking dinner, than going out with a guy."
"He's just so committed and he's a perfectionist, which means he's either going to be a bitter musician or a
method actor - I'm terrified. Maybe I'll try to get him a little bit more excited about being positive and not so
serious about things."
On her career
"You can't imagine. 21 and being nominated for an Oscar is unbelievable. To me, I was just in shock. It was an incredible moment. When I lost, I just kind of went, "Okay,"
and my dad was saying, "Well, congratulations. Welcome to your life and welcome to the rest of your career." I think he basically was saying this is what it is. Now go do your job."
"Doors may have opened for me, but no one hires me unless they think I can do the job."
[After receiving Premiere Magazine New Power Award] "I just hope I have a nice long career and everything goes good."
"I don’t feel famous, or almost famous. I love doing what I do and meeting people, and I love traveling.
I feel blessed to have this career, but I don’t consider myself a star. I think if you get too caught up
in that it can be detrimental. I think, personally, you’re screwed."
"Comedy is a difficult thing to do, but I'm more attracted to dramatic roles. But everything that you do when
you act is challenging. At least for me, every character that I would like to play - and that, hopefully,
people would like me to be a part of - is gonna be challenging."
"For some reason, movies that seem to have more comedy get sent my way. Maybe people associate me more with
comedy because of my mother, and I don't think that's a positive or negative. But it's probably more related
to my personality. I'm not a real dark and mysterious person. I don't feel like I have anything to hide and
I like to have a good time."
"I've reached an amount of success that has made me feel very blessed to actually get to where I've gotten to."
"I am very happy with the way my career has gone. I couldn't be more pleased. I just feel so lucky to have done the
things that I've done, worked with the people I've worked with - it's really a blast and [there's] way more to
come, you know. And in terms of my career, I can't wait to get into my 30s."
On herself
"I'm a sap. I cry at commercials. I'm always crying at songs. I cried when the ant died in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. I cry all the time."
"I'm superstitious... but not like wear the same underwear for two weeks superstitious"
"I have a big, flamboyant, open personality, which I think is why people may be saying these nice things about me."
"Maybe the reason I don't have a problem with nudity is that since I have such small breasts, I never feel that they
are gratuitous."
"I'm a hippie at heart. I wear the clothes, and they're the best. And the music is incredible, too."
"I'm not a big fan of romantic comedies, believe it or not... Well, I don't run out to see them."
"I take my work seriously and myself not seriously"
"I don't consider myself better than any other girl walking down the street. But a lot of people in the industry
aren't that way."
"Sure, I get depressed. But I never feel like it's a bad thing. That's part of the journey in life, and if you have
to go there, you go there."
"Why be intimidated?' I want to be able to give it all to whoever wants it at any particular time. I
like being uninhibited."
"I just love to have fears, because I love to be able to conquer them."
"If I could have one gift, it would be to help everybody see all the beautiful things in life and be
happy. And if that happened, there would be more...bubbles! ... And I have no idea what that means!"
"I was okay being alone. I wasn't somebody who always needed to be in a relationship. I was out with
my girlfriends in New York having a great time."
"I was raised to be the most genuine person I could be and that's what I look for in other people."
"I've always been really comfortable with who I am and the way I look. I'm not trying to prove a point to anybody, so
people can say what they want, I guess. It just doesn't worry me."
On life
"I'm happy. I'm happy at home, I'm happy with my family, I'm happy with my relationship. [My career] is just a plus. I can take all the criticism in the world, and it really won't affect me.
I'm just having a great time being alive. How lucky are we just to be here and healthy? What a fun thing."
On love, relationships and marriage
[On dating] "I hated it. But you know, I was really happy being single. I wasn't ever the kind of girl who always wanted
or needed to be in a relationship. I was always the one who wanted to get out of the relationship."
[On married life] "Some guy said to me the other day, and he was just getting pumped up for the SuperBowl I'm sure, he said,
"It's funny because for girls, when you get married, the fun begins and for guys when you get married, the fun ends."
What a horrible thing to say. That's horrible. I think he's wrong. Definitely for me, it opened up so many things."
"When you're married, you can get too settled. I personally like to keep my husband on his toes.
How do I do that? Flirting."
"My parents always said 'Sex is the best thing in the world.' It is so great, so much fun.
When you start having it you're going to love it. But it's that much better when you
love somebody, so just remember that'"
"I don't believe (monogamy) is realistic. But, I believe that we, as people, have the power to make it happen."
"The problem a lot of women have is they think they have to dress to impress and be mysterious and play
the rule book. I always think that if you are completely yourself and having a good time, you'll find
that guy. He'll find you and that all comes with just being honest".
On other celebrities
"Gentle, generous, a lover. He was just a sweetheart." - on Heath Ledger
"When I was little, I had such a crush on Kiefer Sutherland. I had a Lost Boys poster
on my wall. I met him once when I was at a hamburger joint with my dad. I don't know if
Kiefer remembers. I should never be talking about this."
"There are certain people you meet throughout your career that you just love. Naomi Watts was one person, we met
and she's remained someone that I'll always love and remain friends with. Liv Tyler, same thing. Matthew [McConaugey].
I just love him. And it's nothing romantic, it's nothing sexual — although I feel there is a sort of weird sexual
tension because we're male and female — I just love him, yeah."
"We must have had some kind of experience together in another life because we seem to be connected in this one.
Everybody thinks co-stars hook up and everybody asks 'why haven't you two been together?' – well, one, I was
married when we met and now he's having a baby. But even more than that, we're not compatible as romantic figures,
even though we have that sort of sexual energy with each other – we just kind of enjoy each other." - on Matthew McConaughey
On everything else
"I'm in the process of finding a house, but I can't find one. I'm waiting for the perfect house. I want a garden;
boy, do I want a garden. I need to be able to garden when I'm in my weird funky meditation kind of mood. Sitting
out and having a coffee and a smoke in my garden. That's what I need."
"I've seen ghosts and experienced mystical things. I've seen many ghosts. My mom
is super into that stuff, we swap stories of our experiences all the time. I think
I got my psychic abilities from her."
"Just because you're an actor doesn't mean you weren't educated politically. Isn't it funny the people
complaining about celebrities speaking out are all Republicans? Do these people forget they voted
for Ronald Reagan? No matter what your politics are, you should be able to integrate knowledge
from all sides. Nobody should ever shut up. That's patriotism! I'll listen to anyone's opinion."
"Because you're not perfectly skinny you're not thought to be as appealing which I think is false. Besides, who
wants to be perfect? It's so ugly."
[On the end of 'Friends'] "It's hard to leave a movie after three or four months and they've been doing
it for 10 years! That's heartbreaking."
[on France] "I met the most incredible friends and beautiful people, and I just totally fell in love with
Paris. I can't even describe the city, it's so alive. The young people there believe in the things going
on in the world, and they know they have a voice. There are protests every day. Like 30,000 people
gathering in the streets, and 500,000 people gathering at one point. I felt so alive, I was so happy there.
So much so, that when we came back from Paris we were all depressed. We came back and were like, oh God, what are
we doing? We wanted to be back there. You know, where you eat until all hours, and just enjoy humanity. "
"Make sure to take time for yourself every day. Even if you have to
lock yourself in the bathroom for two minutes, do it. It's our nature
as women to take care of everything and forget about ourselves. It's
important to be present and strong for your kids, and to do that, you
need some breathing space."
"Whenever I feel stressed out or like I'm going crazy, I stop myself and say how lucky I am to be able to
do what I do. I'm so lucky to be able to have my baby with me everywhere I go."
"This is so intense! I felt so in love with Cameron and his vision, the script is so amazing." - part of her acceptance speech
at the Golden Globes 2001
"People write whatever they are going to write, and you have to laugh. 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." [on the media]
“It was starting to drive me crazy! I didn’t like the way the car smelt, or my hair and clothes. It takes you away from
the family and the things you’re doing. You don’t realize it at the time. Then when you’re done, you go, ‘Wow, I do
so much more in a day — including eat.’” - on why she gave up smoking.
“People who know me know that I’m the annoying person at the party who always sings. I just can’t help it. I sing the
national anthem, anything. Now I guess my secret is out.” - on her love for singing.
OTHERS SAID
Her family
Goldie Hawn - “We always knew Kate was going into the industry, but what we wanted was
that she would not struggle. Because it would be very tough having a mother who had done well,
and who had all this adoration, and she would be the child that didn’t. My prayers were
always that she would trump me, and that’s what’s happening. Well, I don’t know if it’s
trump or not at this point. But she’s a star.”
Goldie - "I knew I couldn't fail at work, I knew I couldn't fail at relationships, but
I knew I could have failed with my family by raising kids who were dysfunctional.
Katie's a spectacular person. She had talent from the beginning."
Goldie - "We love food. We're passionate about food and taste. But Katie's main concern
was that she have a happy baby. She didn't have the preoccupation with self, and that
is what I most admire about Kate. She was a joyful mother-to-be."
Kurt Russell [on Ryder]- "I'm thrilled, obviously, and he has a fabulous name. RYDER RUSSELL ROBINSON --
he's already got a name to live up to. Katie and Chris are doing great. It's a spectacular
experience and GOLDIE and I are having a ball. I think this has come along in our lives at
a wonderful time."
Her co-stars
Heath Ledger (when asked what was it like working with Kate) - "Great. She's quite lovely."
Joan Cusack - "She's just a really nice, warm person who knows what she's doing and works
hard and wants to have a family."
Naomi Watts (on playing sisters alongside Kate in Le Divorce) - "I think there was pretty much instant trust
from the get-go. We both knew that in order for this story to work we needed to make it authentic.
And it's not like, “Oh, we've got to make a friendship now because we've got to make this, and
then we'll say goodbye.” It wasn't that. I think both of us really wanted to have a good time
while we're shooting this movie and a friendship would help the movie, of course. We went out
and spent time together."
Matthew McConaughey - "She's incredibly comfortable with herself, especially with her
sexuality. A lot of actresses can look at the romantic scenes - not just sex scenes
but even kissing and touching - as almost taboo if they have a serious relationship
in real life. But Kate's so comfortable with her sexuality, there was no preciousness there."
Naomi Watts - "Sisters. We make a good match don't you think?"
Luke Wilson - [asked 'How was working with Kate Hudson?'] "Good. I like her a lot. She's real fun, we're
friends, and she's got a good sense of humor. [She's] a nice person."
David Paymer - [asked 'And working with Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson?'] "Just the sweetest people you could
meet. I hadn't met them before. I'm not the lead in this movie but they were just quite wonderful. They
sort of sparkle and it comes off the screen."
Chino XL - [asked 'And working with Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson?'] "It was good watching [those]
two because they'd worked together before. They've got a good relationship. Their timing between
one another is really good. It's just really natural. There's no difference in watching them talk
at lunch and watching them act together. They like each other."
Lobo Sebastian - [asked 'And working with Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson?'] "I had a great time. [She's] a lot
of fun to work with. Luke is a good sport. We took him through a lot of hurt and pain, but he's a good sport."
Bebe Neuwirth - "She's just great, very, very talented. And it's so great to watch somebody in their
beginning stages. Even though Kate's done a lot of work, she's still very young, and it's so interesting
to see her craft develop. She's a great girl's girl. Men have no idea what I'm talking about, but a
girl's girl is somebody who's really great for other girls to hang with. There's no assessment going on,
no little, subliminal competitive vibe. Just completely generous and a great, gleeful, feminine good time."
Matthew McConaughey - "We have a good rhythm where we can really care about each other and really not stand each
other and it works. We're always courting but never courted."
Owen Wilson - "She just has this very warm quality and she's always laughing and smiling and just always makes you
feel good."
Her directors
Garry Marshall - "She was interested in the fact that I had stayed married to the same woman for
41 years. I told her if we're in the middle of a scene and Chris calls, she should take it.
She seems to truly want to have a life."
Rob Reiner - "Kate's incredibly curious. She wants to make a difference in the world,
and she's a well-rounded person. That's what makes it so enjoyable to have her on a set:
She'd make jewelry, knit, then talk politics. I've never met one person who has this
much going on. She's a brilliant comedienne, has a great arm with a football - and
did she tell you she can play piano, has a gorgeous voice and writes songs? It's not fair!"
Rob Reiner - [asked 'How was it to direct Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson?'] "Oh, it was fabulous. They're just
adorable together. They were great fun off screen and also on screen."
Andy Tennant - "Kate is articulate, driven and focused."
Anthony Russo - "We called it the Kate crush. Everyone from Matt [Dillon] and Owen [Wilson] to the catering staff,
the kids - they were all lining up to bring Kate coffee - even Michael Douglas and Lance Armstrong were in awe
of her. It was incredible to watch. She just makes everyone feel like you are her best friend."
Her friends
Liv Tyler (talking to Kate as part of an interview for Interview magazine) - "So I've just seen the
trailer for How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and I'm blown away. You look incredibly beautiful.
Full of light. You look like such a movie star. I love the clip where you put the little
dog on the billiard table."
Liv Tyler - "She knits like a madwoman - huge amazing blankets for her husband and baby.
I don't know how she does it all. I can't find time for anything."
Stella McCartney - "Kate has that hippie chick-meets-rock chick kind of thing.
But she also has elements of class that layer on top of all that she does, elements
which obviously come from her upbringing and from her own self. So basically she's
just a cool chick."
Others
Michelle Wie - "You know Kate Hudson? - I love her look."
Her nanny, Kathy (when asked whether Kate was a good child) - "She had her moments. But basically she
was great."
Lynda Obst - "Kate's going to be the biggest movie star of her generation. She's extremely
glamorous but also extremely real."
Liza Minnelli - "Almost Famous' is brilliant. It's so original. It's got that thing that a
good movie needs, which is you've never seen anything like it — and I loved Kate Hudson."
Galina Espinoza (senior editor at People magazine) - "Kate Hudson embodies beauty right now, she's adorable but
she has flaws, her ears stick out a little . . . she's not a classic beauty like Michelle Pfeiffer."
Nicole Kidman - "Kate's a life force. I think what's compelling about her is that she truly sparkles."
Penelope Cruz - "We both studied dance growing up, so we were happy to be able to do it professionally.
Also, we both love food so much. I had to gain some weight for the part, so we would get high from Chinese food.
We would go to a Chinese restaurant and eat everything on the menu. We were so hungry from exercising so many
hours a day, rehearsing our musical numbers."
Anne Hathaway - "That’s [being focused and hopeful] something Kate Hudson and I have in common—that level of focus
and nerdiness. She and I were doing press for Bride Wars, and we were talking about weddings. And the fact is I am
not a girly girl. I’m missing that part of me. Kate’s a girly girl, very in touch with her feminine side. So, I was
talking about this character in Bride Wars, who is what I imagine to be the ultimate girly girl, and I had never
gotten to do that. And Kate looked at me in disbelief: “You made The Princess Diaries. That is the girliest movie ever!”
Nine 
