Once upon a time there was a little boy who dreamed of being a movie star, an opera singer, a teacher, a pastor, a real estate agent, and many other things. I remember always being so confused about what to do with my life. I was envious of my friends who decided they wanted to be something and just went and did it, satisfied to stay in that profession for the rest of their lives. I never felt confident choosing anything. I jumped from career idea to career idea, one after another. All of that changed when I discovered Almost Famous.
Almost Famous changed the direction of my life in many ways. It showed me that writing can be cool, that I can be unapologetically myself, and not to do drugs. So, I became a writer, I became unapologetically myself, and for the most part, I stayed away from drugs. Almost Famous became my anthem and has been a lens through which I sort of view the situation of writing here at AD and on my Substack.
I never expected to be here, but I put myself out there. Sasha accepted me, and now, eight months in, I am still trying to figure out who my people are. Who can I trust and let into my life, and who in this profession are just in it for money or even fame? In some small way, it feels like I am William Miller.
I do find it hilariously ironic that in my first year writing about the Oscars and film, and feeling like I am living my own version of Almost Famous, Kate Hudson comes out of nowhere and delivers her first Oscar-worthy performance since she earned her first nomination for Almost Famous 26 years ago.
If I had my druthers, Kate Hudson would have won the Oscar for Almost Famous. Hudson’s performance as Penny Lane is nothing short of perfection. Kate creates this seemingly carefree hippie who floats through life. Yet as we get to know who she really is, we begin to see the cracks in the façade, and soon the deep and heartbreaking parts of her are revealed. Kate would have been a more than worthy winner for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2000 for her role.
Kate Hudson lit up the screen in Almost Famous and almost followed in her mother’s footsteps by earning a Supporting Actress Oscar. But alas, we got a surprise winner that year. Hudson became the It girl of the early 2000s because of this role. She followed it up with a quintessential 2000s rom-com, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. As loved as that movie was, I believe it hurt her more than it helped her. From that movie on, she became trapped in one role: the Rom-Com Queen. She couldn’t break free. By the mid-2010s she was mostly written off as nothing more than that, and the hope of her having the kind of career many expected from the actress who gave us Penny Lane was all but lost.
Enter Song Sung Blue, stage left.
When people first saw the trailer, many perceived it as an attempt to break free, a chance to revive a career that had seemingly stalled. Others laughed and felt like it was a joke. For me, Hudson’s career has always made me a little sad. I always felt she had it in her to give a fierce performance, but her projects almost always failed her. When I saw the trailer for Song Sung Blue, it gave me a little bit of hope that Hudson might finally deliver the goods. At the same time, I had my doubts because the film looked like it could be a bit of a mess. Still, I gave it a shot, and I am so glad I did. From the minute she started talking, I said, “This is her comeback!”
Well, here we are, a week and a half from the Oscars, and it only took Kate Hudson 26 years to get back here again. We are officially in Kate Hudson’s revival era.
Kate showed us in Song Sung Blue that she still has the chops and the depth to chew up a scene and give us a performance worthy of an Oscar nomination. She went back to what she knows best, playing a character who seems carefree on the surface. But the closer we look, and the further we journey with her through the film, the more we see the hurt, the pain, and the heartbreak she carries. Most importantly, we feel it with her. Hudson wowed me, and I never thought I would get the chance to say that again.
Kate Hudson has been everywhere lately, working every angle and showing that she is still here. She is still working her butt off to have a career in Hollywood, that once seemed ready to cast her aside. She is working every red carpet, serving looks, and doing it all while looking effortlessly beautiful.
My hope is that she continues to find projects that challenge her, projects that allow her to be deeply expressive, and that are worthy of the talent she possesses. The nomination is the win for Kate. You can tell this means the world to her. She needed this moment, not just for herself, but for her career to keep going and thriving.
If you haven’t taken the time to see Song Sung Blue, I hope you do, if only to be reminded that Kate Hudson can still deliver the goods. Kate deserves this moment. Now she just needs to take full advantage of it.
