Kate Hudson

A favorite female lead in romantic comedies for her outgoing comedic personality and sunny charisma, Kate Hudson avoided the dual dangers a Hollywood upbringing and famous parents; instead earning her own success on the big screen. At the beginning of the new century Hudson was Tinseltown’s reigning nouveau hippie chick, a sensibility likely passed down from flower power mom Goldie Hawn and further established by her Oscar-nominated role as a 1970s rock ‘n’ roll groupie in “Almost Famous” (2000) and real-life marriage to Black Crowes’ rocker Chris Robinson. Hudson went on to enjoy major box office success with romantic comedies including “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” (2003) and “You, Me, and Dupree” (2006), due largely to the actresses’ natural charm and the fun-loving rapport she shared with her male co-stars.But Hudson undoubtedly made her biggest impression on Hollywood in 2000. She read the script of Cameron Crowe’s 1970s coming-of-age rock chronicle, “Almost Famous” and was determined to land a role in the film, attracted by the music and fashion of her favorite decade, as well as recognizing that it would be a significant acting challenge that would prove she could take her career to the next level. In this tale of an aspiring music journalist on the road with a rising rock band and its troupe of female “band-aides,” Hudson initially landed the smaller role of the rebellious runaway sister of lead character William (Patrick Fugate). Thankfully for her, Sarah Polley had to drop out of her role as head band-aid Penny Lane and Hudson tirelessly worked to convince Crowe that she could carry the one of the film’s three leads. He relented, and Hudson delivered a pitch-perfect performance, imbuing Penny Lane’s flamboyant, life-of-the-party facade with heart-breaking (and heartbroken) vulnerability and insecurity just beneath the surface. The rumor mill had calmed down enough by the beginning of 2008, so as not to overshadow Hudson’s sparkling, comedic re-teaming with McConaughey in “Fool’s Gold,” an adventure about a newly-divorced couple who bury the hatchet and team up to retrieve a sunken treasure. Hudson was next slated to co-star opposite Dane Cook in another crossed-wires romantic farce, “Bachelor No.2” (2008), and the budding entrepreneur also planned to launch a line of natural hair-care products later in the year.