The Stunning Transformation Of Kate Hudson

Blonde bombshell Kate Hudson has graced our movie screens since the late 1990s and hasn't looked back. Born to parents of fame, it now seems inevitable that Hudson would catch the same acting bug, but throughout the years she has become well-known in her own right. Her bubbly nature shines through in her interviews, and we love seeing how Hudson brings her infectious personality both on screen and off. It's clear her gift to charm has been around since the beginning, so let's take a look back at Hudson's stunning transformation, from childhood to today.

Born to actress Goldie Hawn and comedian Bill Hudson, Hudson was no stranger to fame since the beginning. Her parents divorced when she was very young, and Hudson was then raised by her mother and Kurt Russell, Hawn's companion. With such celebrity status, it might be assumed that Hudson's upbringing was full of Hollywood glamour, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Hudson shared details of her childhood with the Miami Herald, saying, "It wasn't exactly normal but as grounded I think as you could get. They moved us out of L.A. to Colorado [outside Aspen] when we were very young. We were outside riding dirt bikes, hiking, being in nature, doing chores."

And just like any kid, Hudson had to behave. She continued, "I actually have pretty tough parents. We are a very open family, we put everything on the table. Nothing was swept under the rug. Manners, politeness, working hard: Those were all things they took very seriously."

Growing up in Colorado, Hudson lived a very active lifestyle. As she described to the Los Angeles Times, she remembered "family biking trips, skiing in Colorado, sports and dancing." She went on to say during the interview that dance was one of her favorite activities in childhood. And her love for dance didn't stop as she got older. In another interview with The Telegraph, Hudson spoke to this topic again, saying, "I grew up dancing.... Nothing makes me happier than when I'm dancing."

Hudson first thought acting was for her in 1995 when she was 16 years old and took part in the Williamstown Theater Festival. As she described to The Telegraph, "I was an apprentice... I built sets, and they'd put on productions in the middle of a field. It was this big hippie theater; it was so incredible."

A few years later, when it came time for Hudson to think about college, she was accepted into the Tisch School at NYU. When the news came, Hudson wanted to defer for a year in order to focus on acting. She described this moment during the interview, saying, "It took five months of begging.... But I was determined. I didn't want to go to school, and I didn't want to get cut off, so I found work."

Hudson began acting in indie films in order to kick-start her career.

Having famous parents isn't always easy when you want to get into the industry. Hudson addressed the topic during an interview with The Telegraph and how she felt at the beginning of her career when it came to her famous folks.

She said, "Well, for a while I felt I had to apologise for it, at the beginning of my career. I didn't want to talk about it."

Hudson also spoke of her first major role in Almost Famous, and what the director of the film, Cameron Crowe, said when it came to the 21-year-old and her family. She said, "Cameron Crowe [the director of her first film] was asked by the press if he knew my parents when he cast me. He said: 'So what, it's like Goldie and Kurt turned up demanding I cast their daughter? It doesn't work like that."

When Hudson was given the opportunity to read for the Cameron Crowe-directed film, she knew she wanted a part in it. As she told GMA.MOVIES.com (via ABC News), "I didn't know what I was reading for... I just went in knowing that Cameron Crowe was doing a film. I said, 'Cameron, I will be your slave, please let me be in your movie.' I would have done anything. I would have been an extra — I would have taken just one line. I'm just such a huge fan."

Well, we all know she got more than just one line. Taking on the role of Penny Lane, Hudson made it her own. She said, "It was a challenge to create the character, for Cameron, who did it on paper, and for him to give me what I didn't quite understand about the character.... There's a long process, but we worked so intimately and beautifully together, and we created somebody we both fell in love with. I enjoyed being that dedicated to a character."

Her hard work paid off; at just 21 years old, Hudson was nominated for an Oscar in 2001. Although she ended up not taking home the gold, Russell put things in perspective for her. As Hudson later told Vanity Fair of that night, "Something Kurt said to me at the Oscars after I lost [was], 'Congratulations. You can now go have your career."

Another big title Hudson has taken on is the role of mom. Her first son, Ryder, was born in 2004 when Hudson was 26 years old, and her second son, Bing was born in 2012.

The actress has been open about her parenting style and how she hopes to raise her children similarly to how she was raised. Speaking with Independent, she said, "I think my parenting style is pretty similar to my own parents.... We had a beautiful childhood. It's not that it didn't come with family stuff like a lot of families have, but we were lucky and were so close and remain close, which today I think is very rare.... I hope I can emulate a lot of what our parents gave us, and maybe there's some things that I am not so interested in emulating but, for the most part, they really knew what they were doing."

Throughout the years, Hudson has continued to keep good relations with her exes and has a clear focus on giving her kids a good childhood. She was married to Black Crowes band member Chris Robinson, with whom she had her first child, Ryder. The couple divorced after six years of marriage. She had her second son, Bing, with Muse performer Matthew Bellamy. They were together for four years.

In 2015, 36-year-old Hudson spoke with Allure about Bellamy and how they wanted to stay in communication after the break-up for the sake of their son. She said, "Relationships ending are painful, and you can choose to carry that or you can choose to reframe it. If Matt and I had a great relationship, we would still be together, but we chose to move on because we had different visions of how we wanted to live our lives. That doesn't mean, though, that we can't rebuild something that would be the best thing for the kids."

And so far, this has worked out for them. She continued, "We said, 'We need to try to create something for the kids where they feel like they're gaining something rather than losing something,'.... It's been a seamless transition.... Kids just want to see their parents be cool. Everybody's cool; everybody's good."

As Hudson's personal life has continued to flourish, so has her career. She has encapsulated many characters, and has become well-known for her list of romantic comedy titles. As the star has continued to grow throughout her career, she has also made each role her own.

She has also challenged the stereotype of romantic comedies and the role women have in those films. She brought this up during an interview with Elle, sharing, "One of the things I don't like about the genre is that for some reason if a woman is at the center of a comedy, it's always boxed into being a romantic comedy. When men are at the center of a comedy, it's just a comedy.... I think it's just as important to explore the dark sides of women as it is to explore the beautiful sides and healthy sides of women."

She continued, "You want to be able to fluctuate inside of the film world, into characters that really do embody some very dark ideas and concepts as well as ones that are incredibly empowering female leads. So I won't ever limit myself just because of my personal messages that I like to put out."

With such a focus on her family and work, the last thing Hudson has been looking to encourage is rumors about her dating life. She discussed this with InStyle in 2016, and the 36-year-old was not afraid to share her thoughts on the invasion of her personal life. She shared, "It really feels like high school. I can't say hello to anybody without [people speculating we're together]. I don't comment when I'm single because some of them are right, some of them are wrong. But I end up with everybody anyway! I've been linked to every one of my brother's best friends. We're going to do a coffee-table book of all of my 'mystery men.'"

In 2013, Hudson showed us that her skills aren't just in the entertainment world, but in the fitness biz as well. In October 2013, Fabletics was launched. This company offers luxury active-wear at an affordable cost.

So what made Hudson want to get involved with this new business? She spoke with Elle, saying, "The truth is that I've always been a very active person, since I was little. Just for my own clarity being active is something that I need and it's just a way of life for me. I think that it has a big part to do with my parents.... I'm just one of those people where it's not necessarily about a result as much as it is about how I feel in my skin. And when I feel strong I feel strong; mentally and physically. Fabletics is about shifting your patterns and just wanting to be more active in your life in whatever capacity that is."

The company has continued to reach success, and Hudson has a clear idea of what is the most rewarding part about the job. She shared with Refinery29, "I mean, having people come up to me and say that they started getting active again (or started getting active, period) because of Fabletics is such a wonderful thing. Even just seeing the photos that our members post on social media is inspiring and makes me want to do a better job each day."

With the entertainment, fashion and fitness industries down, it's no surprise Hudson also ventured in the publishing world. She published a lifestyle book, Pretty Happy, in 2016 and spoke more to her thoughts behind her book with the Miami Herald. She said, "I'm an avid reader of self-help books, instructional books, cleansing books. All of it. I know the word 'holistic' throws people off a little, but that's how I see this book. I am taking a whole approach looking at health my way, which is not necessarily perfect, but perfect for me.... So I think 'pretty happy' is a great place to be. Happiness is so subjective to one's own experience."

And what is the takeaway from her book? Hudson sums it up clearly, saying, "I feel what is most attractive is a woman's inner confidence. I don't care what she looks like. If she feels good about herself, and she's healthy and strong and mindful, that's the most magnetic thing. Make realistic goals to achieve them. Take the path to what makes you feel good."

So now in 2017, what can be next for Hudson? She has made quite a physical transformation for a new film role. According to Marie Claire, she cut off her blonde locks and is now sporting a buzz cut. This is for the 2018 film, Sisters, which is written and directed by Sia, and co-stars Maddie Ziegler. It already appears to be a very different role for Hudson. She continues to push boundaries and herself in a variety of industries, so it seems she will continue to bring new ideas and roles to life in the future.