Almost famous one year earlier. Kate Hudson could’ve landed a leading role in 10 Things I Hate About You — but mom Goldie Hawn interfered!
“I loved Katie Holmes. She was about to get Dawson’s Creek, and we had to make a decision really fast,” casting director Marcia Ross told The New York Times on Wednesday, March 27, in a profile published about the cult classic teen movie in honor of its upcoming 20th anniversary. “The other person I loved was Kate Hudson.”
Ross, 63, then provided the reason behind Hudson’s lack of inclusion in the 1999 romantic comedy, noting that “her mom didn’t like the script for her, so she passed.”
Other stars who were name-dropped by the casting director: Josh Hartnett and Eliza Dushku, who both screen-tested. Ultimately, though, it was Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger who scored the leading roles of Kat Stratford and Patrick Verona, respectively.
“Julia and Heath just had the best chemistry together,” said Ross. (Ledger died nearly a decade after the film’s release, on January 22, 2008, from “acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine.”)
Everything worked out for Hudson, 39, in the long run. One year later, she starred as leading lady Penny Lane in the 2000 film Almost Famous. Her portrayal earned the Glee alum her first and only Golden Globe win (best supporting actress in a motion picture) and Oscar nomination (best supporting actress). Had Hudson won the Academy Award, she and Hawn would’ve been the first mother-daughter team to share the glory. (The 73-year-old snagged the coveted prize for her supporting performance in 1969’s Cactus Flower.)
10 Things I Hate About You celebrates its 20th anniversary on Sunday, March 31. Almost Famous, for its part, will ring in the special occasion in September 2020.
