Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell couldn’t hold back their emotions while watching daughter Kate Hudson in her latest film, Song Sung Blue.
Speaking during a post-screening panel at AMC The Grove 14 in Los Angeles on January 13, Hawn revealed that she and Russell were left in tears while watching an early cut of the movie. The moment was so powerful, she said, that it brought her back to the last time she cried that hard in a theater — when she was just 11 years old.
According to Hawn, Russell was especially moved by Hudson’s performance, even telling her that Kate might be “the greatest actress of all time.” Hawn quickly added that praise like that does not come easily from Russell, making the moment even more meaningful.
“When I first saw this movie, Kurt and I were sitting together and it wasn’t totally put together yet,” Hawn explained. “There was no color correction, the sound wasn’t balanced — it wasn’t finished. But the two of us just held onto each other and cried.”
She singled out one moment in particular, telling her daughter during the panel, “From the minute you did the Patsy Cline song — I mean, literally cried. We just looked at each other and thought, ‘What have we just seen?’ It was such an extraordinary surprise.”
In Song Sung Blue, Hudson plays Claire, a character inspired by the real-life Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder. Set in 1989, the film follows Claire as she forms a tribute duo with Mike Sardina, played by Hugh Jackman, with their professional partnership eventually turning romantic.
During the panel discussion, Hawn drew a touching parallel between Jackman’s character and Russell himself — a comparison that made Hudson laugh. “He looked so much like Kurt,” Hawn said, explaining that Russell had entered her life in the early 1980s and embraced her family fully.
“That’s what Kurt did,” Hawn continued. “He came into my life and took on our family.” Hudson added warmly, “It’s a heroic thing to do.”
Russell and Hawn share four children between them: Boston Russell, whom Kurt shares with ex-wife Season Hubley; Kate and Oliver Hudson from Hawn’s previous marriage to Bill Hudson; and their youngest son, Wyatt Russell. Though Russell never formally adopted Kate, she has long considered him her father figure for more than four decades.
The emotional response to Song Sung Blue has clearly been a family-wide experience. Hudson previously told PEOPLE that working on the film left her crying almost daily, especially during conversations with Jackman about the project.
“I cry every day,” Hudson admitted. “I’m an easy crier. Crying is always a good thing — it really is.”
Jackman, for his part, praised Hudson’s ability to balance preparation with instinct, calling the experience of working with her transformative. “I think I became a better actor,” he said.
For Hawn and Russell, however, the tears weren’t just about performance — they were about witnessing their daughter step fully into her power. And judging by their reaction, Song Sung Blue isn’t just another role for Kate Hudson. It’s one that left even Hollywood legends speechless.