20Q: Kate Hudson

Q1

[Q] Playboy: Your latest film, The Skeleton Key, is a horror thriller. This is a big change for you--you're known mostly for your work in romantic comedies. How was the experience different from what you're accustomed to, aside from your needing to scream more?

[A] Hudson: It's not a screamy movie. It's a "What's behind the door?" movie. It has more psychological elements than most horror movies that come out now. I scream maybe once. It didn't hurt that I'd just had a baby when we shot it, because I was breast-feeding and had actual tits. In every thriller there has to be a girl running through the house or the woods with no bra on, and I could actually do that. If we shot it today, that would be impossible. I had a very different body at the time, and my breasts really helped my character. Who woulda thunk it?

Q2

[Q] Playboy: You play a nurse in the movie. Please tell us you wear a revealing, low-cut nurse outfit.

[A] Hudson: No, sorry. I actually play a hospice worker. I wear more of a nurse overcoat--it's nothing guys would be too excited about. You're thinking of Jenna Jameson's version of The Skeleton Key. That should be coming out soon, and it'll be fantastic.

Q3

[Q] Playboy: We hear you got a lot of bruises on the set. Did you do your own stunts?

[A] Hudson: Some of them, yeah. It was the first time I'd done a film that was so physically demanding. There was a lot of heaving and running and being out of breath. The wonder of filmmaking is that they make everyone look much more graceful in the finished product than you feel in the actual moment. I had to climb up a two-story trellis that was breaking, and I slashed my hand. But it was so much fun. It brings out the athlete in me. You get to go home and show off your scars.

Q4

[Q] Playboy: Most of your characters have been cute, lovable, happy-go-lucky women. Were you consciously looking for a script that didn't require you to smile?

[A] Hudson: It was nice not to smile. I don't think I smile once in the movie. By nature I'm a happy person, but in terms of acting it's nice to breathe heavily rather than giggle. So many times I'll go to a looping session for a film and the script will say, "Reel 20: Giggle." And I'll think, Oh great, another giggle. I mean, I'm proud of the movies I've been lucky enough to do, but I also think it's nice to be able to feed yourself as an actor and switch things up a bit.

Q5

[Q] Playboy: You're frequently described as bubbly and cheerful. We'd like to give you a chance to change that perception. What's the meanest thing you've ever done?

[A] Hudson:[Laughs] That's a horrible question. I would never consider myself a mean-spirited person. I encountered a lot of mean people growing up, and it's hard not to be affected by that. Believe it or not I've done a few things I'm not proud of. I don't think I want to admit to any of them. I don't regret what I've done, but I'm not necessarily proud of it. I'll just say they usually involved men.

Q6

[Q] Playboy: Oh, come on. You can do better than that.

[A] Hudson: Well, I'm really honest. I'm the first one to tell my girlfriend she doesn't look so good, and that can come across as mean. But I'd rather be honest than look somebody in the face and lie because I want her to like me.

Q7

[Q] Playboy: Your first public performance was at a fifth-grade talent show, in which you danced to Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation." Did you manage to pull it off without any wardrobe malfunctions?

[A] Hudson: None at all. It was spectacular. I did my own choreography, and I won first place. [laughs] It was really funny. I remember winning and being so excited by it. It's those little things in your life that make you feel you're on top of the world. Then I went to the bathroom to collect my things, and these girls from the sixth grade had gone through my bag and thrown everything around the bathroom. And they used my lipstick to write You Suck on the mirror. I took it like a champ, though. I wasn't afraid of rejection. No wonder I can take criticism so well. I was always okay with putting myself out there knowing that people like to knock you down.

Q8

[Q] Playboy: You started your acting career playing virgins, first in 200 Cigarettes and then in Gossip. What is it about you that makes a director say, "She'd make a great virgin"?

[A] Hudson: Well, believe it or not, at the time I was at the age when some girls are still virgins. I'm assuming it's a compliment in a weird way. I don't know. I'm not a man. What is the fascination with virgins anyway? Is it that they're untouched? Guys want to be the first to get in there? I think I just answered my own question. I definitely wouldn't want to date a virgin. It's totally different for us. Women want the top dog, while guys want somebody who is ripe, someone pure and uncorrupted. It's very primal. Unfortunately, these days it's also unrealistic.

Q9

[Q] Playboy: You have an affair with a younger man in Almost Famous and an older man in Le Divorce. Do you prefer the grandson or the grandpa? And who makes a better fictional lover?

[A] Hudson: The grandson. I've never been able to wrap my head around women who date men their father's age. I just don't understand that. It's not that it seems creepy, but I'd imagine you'd want somebody active and energetic. Maybe it's just my personality. I would rather guide than be guided. [laughs] I don't believe I just said that. And that's totally going to be in the interview. I don't know, I guess it has something to do with coming from the age of sex ed. You know, "You're sleeping with everybody they ever slept with." I'm sticking with my answer: the grandson.

Q10

[Q] Playboy: So what does a 16-year-old boy know about women that an adult man doesn't?

[A] Hudson: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's not go to 16! First of all, I don't sleep with William in Almost Famous. It's a sweet kiss while I'm overdosing on quaaludes. It's more of an intimacy between two young people. As for what younger men know about women, well, it's all relative. I'm sure there are men in their 60s who don't know the first thing about women, and boys who are 16 who know everything they need to know. I've always believed age means nothing, as long as you're not robbing the cradle.

Q11

[Q] Playboy: You're married to Chris Robinson, lead singer of the Black Crowes. How did a nice girl like you end up shacking up with a rock star?

[A] Hudson: I hear that all the time. "What is she doing with a guy like him?" To be honest I asked myself a similar question. Why have I fallen so deeply in love with somebody when obviously our lives aren't parallel at all? But they actually are in ways I didn't expect. I think marriage needs to be an open book. You need to talk about everything and have the freedom to make mistakes. Are two people supposed to be with each other for the rest of their lives? I don't believe that's realistic. That's just my own opinion. This idea of having the perfect marriage just doesn't exist. It's a fucking blast to commit yourself to one person and discover each other and completely open yourself up to one person. It's a beautiful thing. But you have to be realistic about it and with each other.

Q12

[Q] Playboy: So being married to a rocker doesn't come with a party every night, with strippers in the punch bowl and drugs on the coffee table?

[A] Hudson: Rock and roll, man, rock and roll. [laughs] What can I say? I'm a rock-and-roll kind of girl. The whole lifestyle turns me on. But no, it doesn't involve a party like that every night. You're forgetting that my husband is in the Black Crowes, not Motley Crue.

Q13

[Q] Playboy: You play a groupie in Almost Famous. Because of what you learned from the film, are you more fearful or less fearful about groupies lusting after your husband?

[A] Hudson: I'm not a jealous person by nature. I like the idea that there are women out there who would like an opportunity to be with my husband or are turned on by his music. But that's why I love rock and roll. It can be really crazy.

Q14

[Q] Playboy: Given the band's on-again, off-again troubles and infighting, have you ever worried that you might be perceived as the Black Crowes' Yoko Ono?

[A] Hudson: Well, I was a big fan of the band before I married Chris, and the last thing I wanted was for them to get so sick of each other that they had to break up, which is inevitably what happened. But that had nothing to do with me. It was about these guys spending the past decade and a half on the road together without much time off. I can take a little responsibility. Chris and I were attached at the hip. His dad said it perfectly: "You two are like Velcro." We spent a lot of time together on the road, and that can be hard. I was a new person in an atmosphere that had existed for much longer than we had as a couple. But I stayed out of everything in terms of the band's whole vibe. I tried to be supportive of Chris, and that's it. I didn't want to get involved.

Q15

[Q] Playboy: A lot of actresses, including Lindsay Lohan and Minnie Driver, have put out albums recently. Have you ever considered a second career as a rocker?

[A] Hudson: No. Because of my marriage to Chris I have a totally different perspective on music. I've seen that it can be such a difficult career. And as a music fan I enjoy artists who are devoted to their music and have something to say. So if I did that, I'd feel like a fraud. I don't think music should be taken lightly.

Q16

[Q] Playboy: While working on Le Divorce, you developed an appreciation for lingerie. Please tell us about this, going into as much detail as possible.

[A] Hudson: I've always been a sucker for lingerie. When you go to a lingerie shop everything smells beautiful because of the yummy powders and perfumes and lotions. It's a really nice, sensual ritual I've always enjoyed. The only problem is that you can keep lingerie in your closet for only so long. You can't wear the same outfit 10 times in a row. The mystery would be over. You need to switch things up.

(concluded on page 152)Kate Hudson(continued from page 120)

Q17

[Q] Playboy: We've heard that you and Chris sing lullabies to your son, Ryder, that involve drinking. Any truth to that?

[A] Hudson: They're just country songs. Chris comes from the South, and his dad was a folksinger. Most of those songs are about drinking. They're definitely melodic, but the lyrics aren't just "Twinkle, twinkle, little star." Ryder likes that George Jones song--"One drink, just one more and then another." A beautiful song, just not a song to use as a learning tool. You have to follow your gut when it comes to raising your kids. I don't have the obsessive idea that Ryder needs to be brought up in an overly protected environment. We want to be open and honest with him. I mean, when your father has graced the cover of High Times magazine a few times, you're going to have to answer some questions. Kids are a lot smarter than people give them credit for.

Q18

[Q] Playboy: Not long after you gave birth, you and your husband visited a strip club in Los Angeles. Is that how a modern mom likes to unwind?

[A] Hudson: Are you reading those tabloids again? [laughs] There's nothing wrong with having a little fun once in a while. I can say that I appreciate beautiful women and beautiful bodies. It was just a spontaneous thing. What's so crazy about going to a bikini bar? It's not bizarre to me at all. I can't understand why people are so fascinated by these things.

Q19

[Q] Playboy: You were featured in VH1's All Access: Hot Mamas special. How can you be a good mother and still remain hot?

[A] Hudson: I have no idea. I don't consider myself hot. I like to feel sexy, but I don't think of myself as objectively sexy. I'm in my mid-20s, and I want to be able to have fun now and again. But at the same time it's most important to me to be a good mother. That's something I'm always aware of. But there are still times when I'll go to dinner with my husband and maybe to the occasional strip club. Every once in a while you have to blow it out. I can't forget I have more roles in my life than just mom. I'm a wife, too. So I try to balance all that out. Who knows, maybe I'm doing it wrong. We'll find out. Get back to me in 18 years.

Q20

[Q] Playboy: Your brother, actor Oliver Hudson, has given you nicknames such as Dumbo and Hammerhead Shark. Which is a better reflection of your personality? Are you a goofy flying elephant or a man-eating shark?

[A] Hudson: That's a good question. I don't know. Do hammerheads eat humans? I guess I'd go with Dumbo. I'm a little more Dumbo-oriented by nature but without the ability to fly--well, maybe if I put my mind to it like he did. That's really a question for my brother. [retreats to her kitchen and asks Oliver the same question]

[Q] Oliver Hudson: Are you kidding me? Definitely the man-eating shark. Without a doubt.

[A] Hudson: Well, there you go. Just shows you what I know.

"What's so crazy about going to a bikini bar? There's nothing wrong with having fun once in a while."