Marking the 25th anniversary of her Oscar-nominated breakout performance in Almost Famous, Kate Hudson is reflecting on the iconic role of Penny Lane.
The actress recently recalled that she originally “got the part for Anita,” who was ultimately played by Zooey Deschanel, and how she convinced writer/director Cameron Crowe to cast her as the leader of the rock & roll-supporting ‘Band-Aids’.
“And then, Sarah Polley was supposed to play Penny Lane, and Brad Pitt was supposed to play Russell, and then, they fell through. And I was the only one cast,” Hudson told Entertainment Tonight. “I was like, ‘Cameron, can I please audition for Penny Lane?’ And he didn’t really want it at first. … And then like, four auditions later, finally he called me, and he was like, ‘You wanna be Penny Lane?’ I was like, ‘Oh my god, Yes!’”
The rest is history, as Hudson played the free-spirited music lover opposite Patrick Fugit‘s wide-eyed journalist William Miller, a character inspired by Crowe’s own adolescence as a writer for Rolling Stone. Billy Crudup ended up cast as Russell Hammond, guitarist of Stillwater.
Hudson added, “All of this was magic for me, because it completely changed my life. It changed the whole trajectory of my career.”
The movie earned Hudson her first Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, also winning Best Film — Musical or Comedy. Crowe won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
The post Kate Hudson Recalls ‘Almost Famous’ Role She Nearly Played & Convincing Cameron Crowe To Let Her Be Penny Lane appeared first on Deadline.
