Busy but balanced, Kate Hudson embraces laughter and joy

Kate Hudson was a bundle of nerves. Hours before a premiere of “Glass Onion,” she admits, “I was sweating and had a little bit of a headache. It wasn’t until the first explosion of laughter that I calmed down. I realized that the collective experience was just dreamy. You can feel the energy of the people wanting to laugh together.”

“We should all do that more often,” the 43-year-old actress says.

Hudson is all about the laughter as she combines work and family life, including her three kids, Ryder, 18 (with Chris Robinson), Bing, 11 (with Matt Bellamy), and Rani, 4 (with fiance Danny Fujikawa). “I have such a cool, big, blended family,” she says.

And then there’s “Glass Onion,” writer-director Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” sequel now on Netflix, in which famed Southern detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) travels to Greece to take on a new case. Hudson plays Birdie, a supermodel turned lifestyle entrepreneur whose business is funded by tech mogul Miles Bron (Edward Norton). The film also stars Janelle Monáe, Ethan Hawke, Dave Bautista and Kathryn Hahn.

Hudson’s act includes far more than acting. She added entrepreneur to her resume with activewear line Fabletics, launched in 2013. Plus, she teams with brother Oliver Hudson on the popular podcast “Sibling Revelry.”

“There are always ways to optimize your joy,” she says of her busy but balanced life. Here are some of Hudson’s other good life tips:

Push yourself

Hudson found her “Glass Onion” character “challenging because Birdie is so tone-deaf and some of the things she says, if I thought hard about them, are quite scary. But Rian wrote such a great character in Birdie. She’s so deeply funny, oblivious to herself, layered and sad and co-dependent. I had so much fun with the character.”

Play’s the thing

Filming during the height of the pandemic in a foreign country could have been lonely and daunting. Hudson and the rest of the cast hunkered down in Serbia but couldn’t leave the hotel after hours. She reverted to an old pleasure. “We took over the top restaurant floor on the weekends and played murder mystery games. We played Mafia and, you know, drank a bit. That’s a good way to get to know each other!”

Three simple things

Each day, Hudson makes sure she gets in her personal big three. “Move your body, breathe fresh air and eat as healthy as you can. They work together beautifully,” she says, adding, “Our bodies were designed to move. I think of it as a necessity. I know I need to move my muscles, and not just for the obvious. When you move, you create dopamine in your brain and feel good.”

Enjoy motherhood

Hudson is enthusiastic about parenting — and realistic. “You want to say that it’s so great every single moment,” she says, “but the truth is we’re all just figuring it out.”

Make time for you

“Make sure to take time for yourself every day. Even if you have to lock yourself in the bathroom for two minutes, do it. It’s our nature as women to take care of everything and forget about ourselves. It’s important to be present and strong for your kids, and to do that, you need some breathing space.”

Meditate away the ‘muck’

Hudson has integrated meditation into her daily schedule with a 20-minute session each morning and sometimes another 20 minutes in the afternoon. “It’s so helpful, plus I’m much more at ease,” she says. “It re-centers you and gets rid of the muck. It’s self-care at its best.”

Don’t live in the past

More than 20 years later, “Almost Famous” remains a fan favorite. “That film was an amazing experience, and working with Cameron Crowe was incredible,” she says of her Oscar-nominated turn as groupie Penny Lane. “It opened a passage for me to work with some other amazing directors.” But she doesn’t dwell. “I don’t live in the past. For me that was a moment and an experience I will take with me forever. The past is part of your fabric and I embrace it, but I keep looking forward.”

Listen to your mother

“My mother is the most inspirational person,” Hudson says of Goldie Hawn. “She motivates me as an actress and a businesswoman, but mostly I’m guided by who she is as a person. She has an otherworldly lust for life. I’m so lucky to look up to my mother in this way.”

When in doubt, grease a pan

“I do like baking cakes. It just makes me happy. And I love to bake with my daughter,” Hudson says. “There’s nothing like making a homemade birthday cake for someone. That’s love.”