Kate Hudson hails Will Rogers as this year’s pioneer

Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell and Oliver Hudson gathered for dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Wednesday night.

But this isn’t a blind piece about one of Hollywood’s most famous families. And this gathering was much more colorful than your average family event. Hudson was the guest of honor at the Will Rogers Film Pioneer Foundation’s annual philanthropy, which raised $1.3 million for the Pioneer Support Fund. The organization provides financial assistance and other support to industry veterans.

“This award is really special,” Hudson told Variety of being named Pioneer of the Year by the foundation named after the Hollywood icon. “Will Rogers State Park is in my backyard, and his legacy is even more precious to me now because I grew up there, especially after the fires,” she continued, referring to the devastating fires in the Pacific Palisades earlier this year. “Things that were landmarks of my childhood, like his house and barn, are gone, but (this award) says something about how you move your legacy forward.”

A tradition spanning more than 75 years, the Pioneer of the Year Award is presented to “an esteemed member of the film industry who has demonstrated outstanding corporate leadership, community service, or philanthropic commitment,” as deemed by the charity. Past honorees range from film industry founders (Cecil B. DeMille, Darryl F. Zanuck, Jack, Harry and Albert Warner, Bob Hope) to modern masters (Tom Cruise, Elizabeth Banks, Universal’s Donna Langley, Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy, former AMPAS president Sheryl Boone Isaacs, and longtime James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara). broccoli). The 2024 award went to Barbie director Greta Gerwig.

But as Hudson alluded to on the red carpet, the annual meeting of exhibitors, distributors and industry executives had a markedly unique feel this year. Personal photos of Ms. Hudson posing with her family floated around the ballroom, accompanied by sentimental notes from mothers and fathers honoring their daughter on the big night (“With her deep dedication to her family and boundless zest for life, she filled the world with love, joy and light,” Horn and Russell wrote. “Our hearts overflow with pride and gratitude for the person she is.”) — the event resembled a family reunion, or one. It’s more of a graduation party than your typical chicken dinner banquet.

In addition to Hudson’s real-life family, her TV show family also joined in the celebration. Ike Barinholtz, who co-created the Netflix series “Running Point,” officiated the ceremony, and co-stars Max Greenfield, Brenda Song and Drew Tarver also sat in the well-heeled crowd.

Barinholtz opened the event with a comedic take on Hudson’s storied entertainment pedigree. “I love Kate Hudson, because to me she is Los Angeles. I joke that she wasn’t born. She just came out of the Pacific Ocean one day,” he teased.

Barinholtz noted that Hudson has the best story of growth in the industry. “You’d come on set drinking coffee and you’d think, ‘Oh, this is good coffee.’ She’d say, ‘Oh my gosh, I remember the first time I had coffee. Goldie was partying at the beach house.’ And Ben Stiller was there.” He was about 20 years old, and he and Jack London were playing basketball, and Oliver came out naked and Kurt was holding baby Wyatt, and I was like, “What are you doing?” And Steven Spielberg filmed the whole thing! “I can’t keep up with that kind of talk. ”

Barinholtz then switched from silly to sentimental, saying what he loves most about Hudson is her huge heart. “When you’re around her, you can’t help but feel that love,” he said. “The world seems pretty bleak at the moment, but it’s a privilege to spend time with someone who loves so much and feels the pain of others, yet doesn’t succumb to despair or cynicism, which is almost a radical move these days. I’m really grateful to be friends with someone like that.”

From there, Barinholtz starred alongside Matthew McConaughey (who co-starred with Hudson in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Fool’s Gold), Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kathryn Hahn (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Glass Onion), and Mindy Kaling. (Running Point), Song Sang Bleu co-star Hugh Jackman, director Craig Brewer, as well as Hawn, Russell, and her brothers Oliver Hudson and Wyatt Russell.

Coincidentally, the Beverly Hilton is the same place where Hudson got her big break and won a Golden Globe for her role as the ethereal Penny Lane in Almost Famous. (“The fun in this ballroom and on that stage is real and I always love coming back, whether it was when I won the Globes or the night I presented here,” Hudson told Variety on the red carpet, before taking a sip of a dirty martini offered to him by a friend during an interview with People magazine.)

“Almost Famous” director Cameron Crowe took to the stage to present Hudson with the award, following Will Rogers Film Pioneer Foundation President Will Rogers, Lisa Bunnell of Focus Features, and PAF Chair Kyle Davis of Bleecker Street Media.

“She’s so unassuming as a person that her work as an actor, singer, philanthropist, author, and cultural icon seems almost effortless,” Crowe said on stage. “She carves her own path, her own path. That’s what makes her a pioneer. Right out of the box, the cameras loved her. Men and women alike loved her. People of all ages could see a star presence that they could lean into. … You didn’t even have to meet her. She was already your best friend on screen.”

Hudson, who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Almost Famous, is back in the awards race with Song San Bleu, a new film about a real-life couple who form a Neil Diamond tribute band and become a local sensation, proving it’s never too late to find love or follow your dreams. The biographical musical drama was released in theaters on Christmas Day, and Variety’s Clayton Davis reported that Hudson’s performance had garnered early praise from the press and industry insiders, with many calling it “the masterpiece of her career.”

Crowe added his praise to the growing buzz, calling Hudson’s performance in one particular scene “soul-wrenching.” He said: “This is a masterclass in true emotion in film…If you’re a young actor today and you’re looking for an example of how to evoke pain, sadness, joy, laughter and even more joy in an instant, that path will lead you to Kate Hudson.”

Hudson was greeted on stage with a standing ovation. “What impresses me most about receiving this award are two words that are very important to me: community and legacy,” she said as she took the stage. “For me personally, it’s very important to continue the tradition of values that have been handed down to me. That’s what it’s all about. I was raised as part of an incredibly strong family, and I’ve always believed that what I do represents something bigger than myself. I feel like it’s my family, my kids, my inner circle, and I’m not trying to be perfect, but I’m trying to live my life in a way that makes them proud.

Hudson began by praising her mother, who she called her role model, for her dedication to philanthropy and for putting her acting career on the back burner for the past 25 years to advocate for children through her foundation. “Thank you for teaching me not to think about what I’m going to do with my life, but to continue to live with purpose and compassion and who I am,” Hudson said, tearing up.

To Russell’s grin, Hudson said, “Thank you for raising me in such a vibrant world. You kept me grounded and reminded me of the power of stories and the importance of building character. Not just in the roles you play, but in life and at home.”

Hudson went on to thank Hawn and Russell for being “an example of what true love and dedication looks like, and for having the courage, confidence and discipline to keep the same hairstyle for 40 years.” (Hearing this, Horn burst out laughing.)

“Thanks to them, I was very fortunate to grow up surrounded by great artists,” Hudson said, concluding her speech. “It is the most beautiful world to immerse yourself in and grow in, and I am so grateful every day that I still get to explore it. But Will Rogers reminds us that our work only has meaning when we connect it to humanity.…Art has always brought people together, and in difficult times, art brings us together, heals us, sustains us.”