'Congratulations. You can now go have your career': Kate Hudson shares advice from Kurt Russell after losing Oscar
— -- Oscar-nominated actress Kate Hudson got candid on ABC Radio's top business podcast, "No Limits With Rebecca Jarvis," about her traditional childhood, her impressive career and her latest gig, running her lifestyle fitness brand, Fabletics.
Hudson grew up on a ranch in Colorado and credited her famous parents, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, for instilling important values in the family.
"The work ethic in our family is really huge," Hudson said. "They definitely instilled that in all of their kids ... It was just basically, 'Do your job. Do it the best you can.'"
"I think I had probably more of a traditional childhood than people would probably think," she said. "Obviously, as you get older, you start to realize that people see your parents differently, but to us, they're our parents, and we had a great childhood because there was so much love ... They were very present parents — surprisingly for how big their careers were."
Hudson said she had a passion for performing from a young age. She was accepted at New York University's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts for college but opted to defer for a year to travel and to pursue her budding acting career.
She was cast in her first film in 1998, in the independent "Desert Blue," alongside up and comers Casey Affleck and Christina Ricci. Two years later, she found herself nominated for an Academy Award for her performance as Penny Lane in "Almost Famous." She never made it to NYU.
"As much as I now wish that I did have the NYU experience, you know, life presents itself timingwise the way it's supposed to, I guess, and so I have no regrets," she said.
Despite winning a Golden Globe for her role in "Almost Famous," she didn't take home an Oscar. While some may look at that as a letdown, Hudson was able to turn the experience into a valuable opportunity, thanks to some advice from her father.
"Something Kurt said to me at the Oscars ... after I lost — 'Congratulations. You can now go have your career.' [That] was, like, such a great thing to say, because it's just starting. I was 21, so it was kind of amazing to have that so young and then just start working and having that kind of demand at a young age is just incredible," she said.
In the years that followed, Hudson has been a regular on the big screen, staring in big budget films like "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and "Bride Wars." She teamed up with her brother Oliver Hudson and their parents to create a production company, Cosmic Entertainment.
Most recently, she has been pursuing a passion for health and wellness with the creation of her activewear brand, Fabletics. It offers what it calls "flexible membership," in which being a VIP member gives you access to new merchandise, savings and digital workouts at no charge. Customers have the option to buy suggested items each month or decline a recurring subscription charge.
"There's something with Fabletics I'm doing pretty much every day." Hudson said of her involvement. "It's anything from looking at budgeting, from marketing and how we're utilizing our budgets to design, if things are going the way that I'm happy with or maybe certain things need some changes."
The company recently announced that it has begun offering petite and plus sizes.
"Now we're doing extended sizes," she said. "It just feels like we're continuing to be more and more inclusive to everyone and hopefully get that message out of fun, fit, happy people."
In a retail market in which many brands are struggling, Fabletics continues to grow, boasting 46 percent global growth in 2016 from the previous year. So how does it manage to stand out in a saturated market?
"I think it's an authentic voice," Hudson said. "I really do. At the end of the day, I think that it has to be something that you really believe in, and I think that goes with anything.”
You can hear Kate Hudson's full interview on ABC Radio's top business podcast, "No Limits With Rebecca Jarvis."
