Just Call Her Glam Ma
19 May 2017
Everyone’s favourite funny blonde chats about Hollywood, family and her most important role.
Image courtesy of Getty.
It’s been 15 years since Goldie Hawn graced our big screens. But this May, the extraordinary actress will appear alongside comedian Amy Schumer in Snatched. I was lucky enough to catch up with Goldie when she visited Australia recently. I asked her what was so irresistible about the role in Snatched, and what lured her back to work after such a long break. “[The script] came along and it was funny,” she said. “It is a buddy movie, it was a wonderful role. It has something to say about mothers and daughters. It sort of ticked all the boxes for me.” Snatched finished filming in Hawaii late last year. Goldie said it was “a wonderful experience” and “great to go back to film and go back to being funny”.
THE GOLDEN TOUCH
It’s no wonder Goldie is at home being centre stage. With a mother who owned a dance school and a father who was a musician, Goldie was performing at the age of three. She went on to dance in The Nutcracker for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in her home state of Maryland when she was 10, and by the time she left high school she was running her own ballet school. Goldie eventually moved to New York City, and in 1969 landed a role in the film Cactus Flower.
She won an Oscar for her performance – quite a feat for a young woman in her first big film role. She then appeared opposite Peter Sellers in There's a Girl in My Soup before working with Steven Spielberg in his 1974 theatrical directorial debut Sugarland Express.
It was in 1984, while making Swing Shift, that Goldie met and fell in love with fellow actor Kurt Russell. The happy couple have lived together ever since and even went on to star as love interests in another movie together: the oddball romantic comedy Overboard.
More recently, Goldie has appeared in the black comedy Death Becomes Her, and the hilarious cult classic The First Wives Club. Her last film was 2002’s The Banger Sisters, in which she starred alongside Susan Sarandon and Geoffrey Rush.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
While visiting Australia, Goldie spoke about the Hawn Foundation and a project that is particularly close to her heart: a program which helps young people cope with stress and live happier lives. It’s called MindUP, and it’s currently helping nearly one million children across nine countries – including Australia and New Zealand.
Looking fit and fabulous, Goldie spoke about why the MindUP program is so important and why she considers it to be one of her proudest achievements.
“We live in a very stressful world,” Goldie said. “I think we’ve got a lot of technology that is taking up a lot of our time. Every spare moment we look at our phones and that is just not healthy.”
She urges everyone – young and old alike – to stop looking at their phones and “focus on the spiritual side of life”.
Goldie came up with MindUP after 9/11, when she realised the world had changed forever. She decided she wanted to help foster the growth of better leaders in all countries as a way to help guide us through the major issues we all now face.
“Children are going to become our future leaders, and they will hold the wellbeing of this planet in their hands,” she said.
“So, in order to bring up children who are strong, [MindUP is] teaching parents how to manage their own emotions. And we’re teaching children how to reduce their stress themselves – how to become self-reliant.”
“It’s nothing to do with religion and it’s nothing to do with colour. It’s nothing to do with any of that,” she said. “We are a group of amazing humans and we all need each other.” »
A GLAMOROUS GRANDMA
Goldie believes both grandparents and parents have major roles to play in helping young people become stronger. She said it’s important for children to have “time to breathe, time to play, time to create” – and that grandparents especially can bring these values to children’s lives.
“My grandchildren are the most important people in the world to me,” she said – adding that she’s concerned about “children at large, all over the world.”
Goldie has three grandkids of her own. But she doesn’t like to be called “Grandma”. She prefers the nickname “Glam-ma”.
A TRUE LOVE STORY
Goldie has two children, Kate and Oliver, from her marriage to Bill Hudson. Both her kids are successful actors in their own right. She also has a son, Wyatt, with Kurt. He works in film and television too.
After 33 years together, Goldie and Kurt have never married. She says they prefer a less formal commitment. But that doesn’t mean they don’t believe in romance. Goldie recently revealed that they still enjoy date nights. She said,
“Kurt and I snuggled up and watched Overboard together. The first time we have seen it all the way through since it came out. Now that’s romance.”
GOLDIE’S BEST ADVICE
Nutrition:
The leading lady sips on green veggie-based drinks throughout the day.
Exercise:
The fit 71-year-old hits the sidewalk before breakfast. She says it’s very important to her to set aside time to do this simple exercise every day.
Relaxation:
Goldie tries to stay “positive”, and meditates every day. She also stays active and tries to live mindfully.
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