Cameron Crowe‘s Almost Famous, a semi-autobiographical movie about his life as a teenage rock journalist covering an upcoming rock band, was a real breakthrough for Kate Hudson. Hudson recently shared how the comedy-drama flick changed her life in more ways than one.
Kate Hudson played the role of Penny Lane in Almost Famous. Her character was more than your typical groupie. This “bandaid” chose to join the fictional band Stillwater on their tour simply for being a fan. While speaking to People, it turns out the music fan in Hudson is actually how Cameron Crowe knew to cast her.
“I think [he] connected with the fact that I loved music and saw that in me, but he really blew the lid open for so much music for me. I was 19, and he just filled me with all this great music that I’d never heard,” said Hudson. “That was the beginning of everything for me.”
Almost Famous certainly does the job of exposing anyone to the great music of the ’60s and ’70s. The Grammy Award-winning soundtrack included artists such as Elton John, Simon & Garfunkel, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and more.
The music semi-autographical film really did end up being “the beginning of everything” for Kate Hudson with Almost Famous being one of Hudson’s best movies. Her portrayal of Penny Lane earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and an Oscar nomination. It was from there that she became the lead in many rom-coms like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Raising Helen, Bride Wars, and more.
How Almost Famous Was a ‘North Star’ for Kate Hudson
We saw Kate Hudson play a music fan in Almost Famous, but that wasn’t the end of music for her. Her musical talent came out in the film Nine, a recurring role on Glee, and in Sia‘s movie Music.
Kate Hudson’s memorable performance playing a music fan eventually brought her toward the path of becoming a musician herself. On May 17, 2024, Kate Hudson released her debut album Glorious. But, of course, she said people on social media couldn’t help but make Penny Lane references to her new album.
“I do see everybody’s response on Instagram, and there were a couple of things on there that just cracked me up. People are so funny,” said the Oscar nominee. “Somebody said something like, ‘It was Penny Lane the whole time.’ I was like, ‘Oh, that’s so funny.’ It makes me happy that people connect to that and then are enjoying that I’m making music. That’s so nice.”
Kate Hudson continued to explain that it was in the middle of the pandemic that she decided to pursue music. Even though the daughter of singer Bill Hudson felt like she made brave decisions in her relationships and her acting career, “It’s like I switched something in my brain, and I was like, ‘I’m just going to do it. F— it.’”
