Kate Hudson jumps at chance to ‘make beautiful music’

It has been 20 years since Kate Hudson burst on the scene as girl-next-door Penny Lane in “Almost Famous,” Cameron Crowe’s film based on his experiences as a teenage journalist for Rolling Stone.

Two decades later, a mix of movies and music might earn Hudson a second Oscar nomination.

The actor delivers a career-defining turn in “Song Sung Blue” as part of a Neil Diamond tribute band called “Lightning & Thunder.” She portrays half of a blue-collar Milwaukee couple who just want to make beautiful music together, no matter if it’s in a dive bar or across the dining room table.

Hudson, a 46-year-old mother of three, knows that feeling of euphoria when you find “your thing.”

“This movie is about a tip jar musician who might never see superstardom, but makes music because she loves it,” she shares. “Her husband does the same because he loves it, and that’s a beautiful thing. I wish more people could embrace what makes them feel alive.

“When you do what you love, it’s always a victory.”

Beyond “Sung Song Blue,” opening Christmas Day, Hudson starred this year in Netflix’s hit sports comedy “Running Point.” She is also receiving raves with her debut album, “Glorious.”

Hudson lives in L.A. with her fiancé, musician Danny Fujikawa. The two have been together since 2016 and have a daughter, Rani Rose, 6. She’s also mom to sons Ryder, 21, and Bingham, 14, from her previous marriage to Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson.

Her good life advice:

So good

Hudson says the role in “Song Sung Blue” reminded her why she went into acting in the first place. “There’s movies that inspire you to want to be an actress and when you’re younger and you see them, you say, ‘I want to do that. I wish I could do that. How do I do that?’ When I read this script, I thought, ‘Wait, this reminds me of that feeling.’”

In tune

“Songs evoke emotion for me,” Hudson says. “I can access emotion in other ways, but music really does it for me. I can cry with the right song, laugh with the right song or just find myself,” she says. Her favorites? “I love everything from Bob Dylan’s ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ to John Prine or Bonnie Raitt’s ‘Angel from Montgomery’ to Radiohead’s ‘High and Dry.’ I really love the Boss. ‘I’m on Fire’ is great. I love the feeling of it. I really believe that music is about saving people,” she adds.

Her favorite day on the set of “Song Sung Blue”? “We had a scene where the entire crew was singing ‘Sweet Caroline’ at the top of their lungs,” she recalls. “It immediately brought everyone joyously together.”

Just duet

Did Hudson know she could sound great with Jackman? “We recorded the songs before we started filming,” she says. “Basically, we sat down on a couch with two microphones. We had that scary moment of ‘How is this going to work?’ We didn’t really know each other. I was nervous, but quickly it felt so easy.”

Beautiful music

“Singing together was one of those private moments when you fall in love with someone’s vulnerability, Hudson says. “There was a moment in the recording studio and Hugh had his long cricket legs out. He sang something that was off and said, ‘Is that terrible?’ We laughed so much. … Later, we had a wedding scene. I was walking down the aisle and tears were in my eyes. I knew this movie was going to work. I kept joking, ‘I’m marrying Hugh Jackman.’ It just felt really nice.”

Character study

The journey to find her character of Milwaukee singer and mom Claire began with bigger hair, Hudson says. “The second those hot rollers came out, it was transformative to me,” she says. “And then I was given a vest with stars all over it. Oh, my God, Claire suddenly popped off the page and she was very real. I said, ‘How thick can I go with my accent? How many curlers?’ Our director said, ‘Go there with every amount of conviction.’”

One thing

How does Hudson balance work, life, motherhood, TV, music and movies? “I like to really focus on one thing at a time,” she says. “Then I switch focus. When I’m working on movies, I let everyone in my life know that’s my day, and I set certain days aside to do other things. Of course, the kids are always the major priority and I schedule my life around them. I’m lucky to have so many amazing things in my life.”

At ease

Hudson says meditation has been a great way to cope with stress. “Since I’ve integrated mediation into my daily life, I feel more at ease,” the actor says. “I know it’s there to re-center myself.” She started meditating on the advice of her mother, Hollywood icon Goldie Hawn. “She told me to start simply by calming down and bringing awareness to my breath,” Hudson says. “You follow your breath in and out. It always comes back to simple breath.”

Goldie’s best advice?

“She says, ‘Don’t fix what’s not broke.’ And she told me a long time ago that our children are our greatest teachers,” Hudson shares. “She reminded me that as a parent I should be available to learn because adults don’t know everything.”