The 10 Best Kate Hudson Roles

Kate Hudson’s screen career spans romantic comedies, prestige dramas, thrillers, and television, with characters that run the gamut from free-spirited muses to hard-edged industry leaders. Across film and TV, she has collaborated with acclaimed directors and ensembles, building a résumé that touches nearly every corner of mainstream entertainment.

This list spotlights the roles that most clearly define her range and impact. Each entry includes the project context, creative team, and character details, so you can quickly place the performance within its production and story world without having to cross-reference anything else.

‘Almost Famous’ (2000) – Penny Lane

Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical drama follows a teen rock journalist embedded with the fictional band Stillwater, and Penny Lane stands at the story’s center as the enigmatic leader of a group of “Band-Aids.” The production pairs Hudson with Patrick Fugit, Billy Crudup, and Frances McDormand, and it blends tour-bus intimacy, arena-show spectacle, and newsroom scenes to capture the mechanics of music writing and rock culture.

Hudson’s Penny Lane functions as a catalyst for key plot turns and as a fully drawn character with her own rules, loyalties, and limits. The role earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe win, underscoring how the film’s ensemble and Crowe’s direction shaped a career-defining performance.

‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ (2003) – Andie Anderson

This newsroom-meets-ad-agency comedy pairs a magazine advice columnist with an ambitious account executive on intersecting assignments. The film places Hudson opposite Matthew McConaughey, building its premise around deadline-driven stunts, client expectations, and office politics in publishing and marketing.

As Andie Anderson, Hudson navigates set-piece gags and workplace scenes that hinge on what her article demands versus what her editor approves. The script uses meetings, pitches, and social events to move the story, and Hudson’s character provides the point-of-view through which the audience sees how editorial angles are crafted and tested.

‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ (2022) – Birdie Jay

Rian Johnson’s whodunnit sequel assembles a new ensemble on a private Greek island for a weekend orchestrated by a tech magnate, with detective Benoit Blanc invited to untangle what follows. Hudson plays Birdie Jay, a fashion entrepreneur whose business decisions, public statements, and licensing deals slot directly into the mystery’s web of motives and opportunities.

The production emphasizes puzzle-box structure, device-driven clues, and timelines that rewind to reveal how each guest connects to the central scheme. Birdie’s texts, contracts, and influencer-era brand obligations all factor into the investigation, giving Hudson a role built on cause-and-effect details that the plot later recontextualizes.

‘Marshall’ (2017) – Eleanor Strubing

This courtroom drama centers on one of Thurgood Marshall’s early cases, following the defense team as it challenges a high-profile accusation in Connecticut. Hudson portrays Eleanor Strubing, whose allegations against her chauffeur spark the legal battle that drives the film, opposite Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, and Sterling K. Brown under the direction of Reginald Hudlin.

The narrative tracks filings, strategy debates, and procedural hurdles, showing how pre-trial publicity and local dynamics shape jury perception. Hudson’s scenes anchor the case’s statements and cross-examinations, situating the character within the historical record that the attorneys, investigators, and witnesses attempt to parse.

‘Truth Be Told’ (2019–2023) – Micah Keith

Apple TV+’s true-crime drama follows podcaster Poppy Parnell as she reopens and investigates cases with lingering questions. In the second season arc, Hudson plays Micah Keith, a lifestyle mogul whose media brand, friendships, and past relationships become integral to Poppy’s reporting and the case’s unfolding revelations.

The show blends interviews, flashbacks, and newsroom production beats, detailing how episodes are structured, sourced, and fact-checked. Micah’s company, public persona, and private history provide the connective tissue between the investigation’s narrative threads, giving Hudson a role that intersects with publicity cycles, sponsorships, and crisis-management decisions.

‘Glee’ (2009–2015) – Cassandra July

In the musical-comedy series, Hudson guest-stars as Cassandra July, a tough NYADA dance instructor whose classes and critiques test new student arrivals. The role places her opposite Lea Michele’s Rachel Berry, with choreography-heavy sequences that establish classroom expectations, rehearsal discipline, and performance stakes.

Cassandra’s numbers, including high-energy showcases, are embedded within course assessments and stage rehearsals. The character’s teaching style—combined with auditions, callbacks, and showcase preparations—structures much of the conflict for the students, giving Hudson a recurring presence tied to training, technique, and professional standards.

‘Deepwater Horizon’ (2016) – Felicia Williams

Peter Berg’s disaster drama reconstructs the events surrounding the offshore drilling rig and the chain of failures that led to catastrophe. Hudson plays Felicia Williams, wife of chief electronics technician Mike Williams, grounding the story’s homefront perspective alongside sequences that detail rig operations, safety systems, and emergency response.

Communication between shore and rig, along with real-time updates as the situation worsens, frames Felicia’s scenes. Her vantage point tracks how information moves from technical teams to families, while the film documents equipment, procedures, and the crews coordinating evacuations and support.

‘Bride Wars’ (2009) – Liv Lerner

Set in Manhattan’s wedding-planning ecosystem, this comedy pairs Hudson with Anne Hathaway as best friends whose ceremonies end up scheduled for the same venue and date. The plot moves through planners’ offices, bridal salons, and vendor negotiations, showing how deposits, calendars, and contracts can collide.

Liv Lerner’s arc follows the logistics—and missteps—of invitations, fittings, and venue preferences as the characters escalate competing plans. The production uses checklists, bookings, and vendor policies to structure the set pieces, placing Hudson’s character within the calendar-driven realities of event coordination.

‘Raising Helen’ (2004) – Helen Harris

Directed by Garry Marshall, this family dramedy follows a fashion-industry assistant who unexpectedly becomes guardian to her sister’s three children. The film contrasts the routines of school, carpools, and parenting with fashion-house schedules, fittings, and after-hours commitments, mapping two very different daily calendars.

As Helen Harris, Hudson navigates guardianship procedures, school meetings, and budgeting choices while balancing job demands and community expectations. The story incorporates social-services check-ins, childcare arrangements, and workplace accommodations, positioning the character’s decisions within realistic institutional frameworks.

‘Nine’ (2009) – Stephanie

Rob Marshall’s musical adapts the stage show inspired by Federico Fellini’s work, centering on film director Guido Contini as he confronts creative block and the women in his life. Hudson plays Stephanie, a fashion journalist whose interview and musical number intersect with Guido’s search for inspiration, alongside a cast that includes Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, and Penélope Cruz.

The production builds elaborate set-pieces around media access, publicity, and the machinery of a film shoot, with Stephanie’s sequence ‘Cinema Italiano’ serving as a stylized press-world vignette. Wardrobe, choreography, and camera staging are all foregrounded, and Hudson’s role ties directly to the press coverage orbiting Guido’s stalled production.

Share your favorite Kate Hudson role in the comments and tell us which performance you’d add to this list!