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KATE HUDSON on 'YOU, ME AND DUPREE'
Contributed by Michael J. Lee, Executive Editor
for Radio Free Entertainment
June 23, 2006
In the comedy You, Me and Dupree, newlywed Carl (Matt Dillon) invites his unemployed friend Dupree (Owen Wilson) to stay with him and his wife Molly (Kate Hudson) until he can get back on his feet. But despite his amicable nature, Dupree quickly wears out his welcome, putting a strain on the couple's new marriage. Faced with an estranged wife, an aggravating houseguest, trouble at work, and a father-in-law (Michael Douglas) with a grudge against him, Carl snaps, compelling Dupree to get his act together so that he can help his lifelong pal.
In this interview, Kate Hudson talks about her adventures and misadventures on set, and her own experience with memorable houseguests.
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The Interview
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MEDIA: How did the process of picking the right swimsuit for your scene on the boat go down?
KATE: The guys had me try on like four different types of bathing suits. The [directors and Owen] would come in and they'd be like, "Ummm...Maybe you should put on the other one again? Turn around. That's nice. What about the other one?" Oh, God. And we were laughing so hard. That whole experience was so much fun. It was ridiculous.
So did you--
Oh, wait! I have a great story I haven't told this whole time! So we're shooting in San Pedro by [a military] reserve...This chopper comes...And all of a sudden, we hear this huge crash. And I walk outside, and I'm in the outfit. And it turns out that my car, of all the cars and all the trailers that are there...This chopper came so low that a huge, big plywood thing came falling onto my car from a rooftop. And I walk out there. Now the cops are there, the [military personnel] are there, and I'm in my outfit. And they're like, "Hi, Miss Hudson. Ummm..." And I'm like, "What happened!" And then all of sudden I realize. I'm like, "Oh my God! I'm sorry. Can somebody get me a robe?" It was really funny.
Was the chopper flying that low to get a look at you?
I don't know what they were doing, but whatever it was, it definitely caused an issue. And the government still hasn't paid me back! [laughs]
So you don't have any problem flashing some flesh in the name of comedy?
As long as it's not totally exploitive, and as long as I feel like it could either be funny or fun or is appropriate, I really have no problems with it.
Actually, Owen seems to be exposed more than you in this movie...
That's true...There's a lot of, like, naked in this movie, isn't there? I remember when I read the script for the first time, I was like, "God, I'm kind of half-naked the whole movie." So I wasn't too surprised. I didn't like come to set and Joe and Ant were like, "You're going to be in your underwear for this scene." It was actually written in the thing. But I think Owen probably had it worse than I did.
How do you feel about being just about the only woman in this movie whose face is shown?
[laughs] I'm so flattered. First of all, it was a boys' club movie. I mean, it was one of those things where I was the girl. I was like the little sister who was always saying, "Hey, what are you guys doing? Are you going out? Can I come?" But I'm pretty comfortable with boys. You know, I have all brothers. There's four boys and me and my mom, so I've been surrounded by boys my whole life. So I didn't even think about it. Although when I saw the movie, I did think, "Wow, poor Molly. She's literally the only girl...And all these dudes." [laughs] It kind of felt a little bit like Almost Famous. Because on Almost Famous, even though there were girls, like the other band aids, it was just me and all the boys every day. And that's kind of what it felt like on this movie. But it was fun.
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As a musician, does your husband Chris Robinson have a lot of friends like Dupree that drop by?
As far as the like vagabond musician friends that wander in and out of our house all the time, there's two in particular. They're twins, believe it or not...I've seen their genitals one too many times. And it's very harmless. It's actually more of just they're comfortable with themselves. But you know, I'm okay with it. I can deal.
Any female Duprees?
I've got some female Duprees...I've got like two. One of them just sort of squatted in my house for over a year. And I liked it because I could go into the guest room and [gossip with her]. Chris was the one who was like, "When is she getting out of our house?" And then I have another one who's probably the Dupree who would light the house on fire with a stick of butter. [laughs] And if you're out there, baby, you know who you are!
Are you still friends with them?
Oh, yeah. I love Duprees. Are you kidding me? I'm not like [my character] Molly at all. I'm totally available for weird, interesting, bizarre characters. I love it.
What do you like about those types of characters?
I guess part of what I enjoy about life is that there are these people that you can write stories about. And I must say--and this sounds crazy--but for what I do, I always think that understanding human behavior, no matter what kind of human behavior, is the best lesson and the best acting class you could possibly have. So I've always been very open with people's stuff. [laughs]
Do you have to get after your husband for annoying habits?
No, but there is one that he has of me that is actually pretty funny, which is I can sip on a coffee all day long. And I can have a coffee that's cold and I'll still take a sip of it, and it just drives him nuts. And same with my dad. It drives Kurt nuts, too, because my mom actually does the same thing. And they're both like, "I don't know how you guys can sip on cold coffee all day--the same coffee."
Has your real life dad, Kurt Russell, ever given your suitors a hard time, as your movie dad, Michael Douglas, does in this film?
No. Pa was actually pretty good. Somebody asked me a similar question. Somebody asked me if people found him intimidating. And I had never thought about the fact that my dad is actually like, you know, Snake Plissken. And I went, "Oh my God, that must have been really difficult for certain guys." But you know, I remember he was doing a press junket, and he came back right after I had married Chris. And he said that he got asked a lot about if he was nervous or worried that I got married too young. And it was so funny, he goes, "I said, 'I'm never worried about Kate. I'm more worried about the guy who marries Kate.'" [laughs] Which I love, because that shows that he's got confidence in his daughter. So he's always been pretty good. My parents let us make our mistakes, you know?
How did you like having Michael Douglas play your father?
Well, Michael was the first person I've worked with that I've known since I was a baby. So it was the first time I had worked with a friend of my parents that I've known...So I think it was sort of one of those experiences, maybe for both of us, where it was just kind of one of those wow things. "How great is this?" For me, the opportunity to work with somebody like Michael anyway is always a joy. And just the fact that he was playing my dad...For us, I think it just had a little bit more meaning than what would maybe normally happen in that circumstance.
Thanks for your time.
Thanks, guys.
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