Kate Hudson embraces laughter and joy in busy but balanced life

Kate Hudson was a bundle of nerves. Hours before the Glass Onion premiere, she admits, “I was sweating and had a bit of a headache. It wasn’t until the first burst of laughter that I calmed down. I realized that the collective experience was just dreamy. You can feel the energy of the people who love to laugh together.”

“We should all do this more often,” says the 43-year-old actress.

Hudson is all about laughter as she juggles work and family life, including her three children, Ryder, 18 (with Chris Robinson), Bing, 11 (with Matt Bellamy) and Rani, 4 (with fiance Danny Fujikawa). “I have such a cute, big, blended family,” she says.

And then there’s Glass Onion, writer-director Rian Johnson’s sequel to Knives Out now on Netflix, in which famous Southern detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) travels to Greece to take on a new case. Hudson plays Birdie, a supermodel turned lifestyle entrepreneur whose business is funded by tech tycoon Miles Bron (Edward Norton). The film also stars Janelle Monáe, Ethan Hawke, Dave Bautista and Kathryn Hahn.

Hudson’s act involves much more than acting. She added entrepreneur to her resume with activewear line Fabletics, launched in 2013. Plus, she joins brother Oliver Hudson on the popular Sibling Revelry podcast.

“There are always ways to optimize your joy,” she says of her busy but balanced life. Here are some of Hudson’s other great life tips:

Push yourself

Hudson found her Glass Onion character “challenging because Birdie is so tone-deaf, and some of the things she says, if I think about it, are pretty scary. But Rian wrote such a great character in Birdie. She’s very funny, self-absorbed, layered and sad and co-dependent. I had a lot of fun with the character.”

The game is the thing

Filming during the height of the pandemic in a foreign country could be lonely and scary. Hudson and the rest of the cast flew to Serbia, but couldn’t leave the hotel after hours. She returned to an old pleasure. “We took over the restaurant upstairs at the weekend and played murder mystery games. We played Mafia and, you know, drank a little. This is a good way to get to know each other!”

Three simple things

Every day, Hudson makes sure she gets into her personal trio. “Move your body, breathe fresh air and eat as healthy as you can. They work together beautifully,” she says, adding, “Our bodies are designed to move. I think of it as a necessity. I know I have to move my muscles, and not just to clear. When you move, you create dopamine in your brain and it feels good.”

Enjoy motherhood

Hudson is enthusiastic about parenting – and realistic. “You want to say it’s so wonderful every moment,” she says, “but the truth is we’re all figuring it out.”

Find time for you

“Make sure you take time for yourself every day. Even if you have to lock yourself in the bathroom for two minutes, do it. It is our nature as women to take care of everything and forget about ourselves. It’s important to be present and strong for your children, and to do that, you need some breathing space.”

Meditate away the ‘scum’

Hudson has integrated meditation into her daily schedule with a 20-minute session every morning and sometimes another 20 minutes in the afternoon. “It’s very helpful, plus I’m a lot more relaxed,” she says. “It refocuses you and gets rid of the junk. It’s self-care at its best.”

Don’t live in the past

More than 20 years later, “Almost Famous” remains a fan favorite. “That movie was an amazing experience and working with Cameron Crowe was incredible,” she says of her Oscar-nominated return as the groupie Penny Lane. “It opened up an outlet for me to work with some other great directors.” But she does not live. “I don’t live in the past. For me this was a moment and an experience that I will take with me forever. The past is part of your fabric and I embrace it, but I keep looking forward.”

Listen to your mother

“My mother is the most inspiring person,” Hudson says of Goldie Hawn. “She motivates me as an actress and a businesswoman, but mostly I’m driven by who she is as a person. She has an otherworldly lust for life. I am very lucky to see my mother in this way.”

When in doubt, grease a pan

“I like to bake cakes. It just makes me happy. And I love to bake with my daughter,” says Hudson. “There’s nothing like making a homemade birthday cake for someone. This is Love.”