Hawn & Hudson

I recently caught a repeat of the Goldie Hawn episode of Master Class on Oprah’s network, OWN. Filled with stories from Goldie’s upbringing in a small (wholesome) town in Maryland, the dancer and actress shares how she navigated the often stressful, complicated worlds of ballet, television and film, to become one of the most talented and much-loved actresses over the last 40 years.

Throughout the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90’s as a comedy-film lead (Foul Play; the brilliant, groundbreaking Private Benjamin; the genius of Overboard; Death Becomes Her; The First Wives Club), Goldie has always been Goldie. Not a one-note actress, but always smart, funny, warm and familiar, with that natural knack for making viewers laugh, thanks in part to the classic “Goldie giggle.” She could even make you laugh, then cry, all within less than a minute. (See the campfire scene in Private Benjamin.)

In this Master Class episode, in one of the most surprising recollections, Goldie stresses the importance of integrity and how doing what you feel is most comfortable… for you… can be rewarding and fulfilling in the long run.

Seeing this episode reminded me of Goldie’s daughter, the actress Kate Hudson. Kate was an eye-opening, singing-and-dancing surprise in Rob Marshall’s movie-musical, Nine. Kate played Stephanie, a fashion journalist determined to seduce Italian film director in midlife crises, Guido Contini, played by Daniel Day-Lewis. Stephanie is ready to turn the fantasy into a reality, while Guido prefers his fantasy to play out in his head as a ‘60s Italian-mod-style dance number, with Stephanie singing her praise for (Contini) Cinema Italiano. The production number was big and electric, and wind-machine-blown Kate was white hot in ‘60s go-go. With Goldie as a carefree go-go dancer on TV’s Laugh In back in the day, the apple doesn’t fall far. BSo