The Thursday Interview: Kate Hudson talks about working with Bill Murray in Rock the Kasbah

Born into showbiz royalty, as the daughter of Goldie Hawn and step-daughter of Kurt Russell, her life might be based in Hollywood, where a glossy megawatt veneer is the order of the day, but she insists her own outlook is firmly rooted in reality.

“Some days I feel quietly confident, and other days I don’t,” explains the 36-year-old.

“Certain days I feel like, ‘Wow I’ve come so far’, and I feel really open. And other days I feel like, ‘Should I have done that? Should I do this? I don’t know...’.

“It’s life, isn’t it?” she reasons. “We’re always trying to figure it out.”

Clearly it’s a subject Hudson, whose biological father is the musician Bill Hudson, has been thinking about a lot recently.

Growing up in Los Angeles, she forged ahead with her career in the late Nineties after deferring her place at New York University, scoring roles in 1998 indie film Desert Blue and 200 Cigarettes soon after.

Her early success led to accusations of nepotism (something she apologised for at the time), but any naysayers were swiftly silenced when she earned an Academy Award nomination for her role as ‘band aid’ Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe’s 2001 film Almost Famous.

More recently she voiced charismatic giant panda Mei Mei in animated adventure Kung Fu Panda 3, which sees the hero of the story, Po (Jack Black), overcome his fears and start to believe in his abilities.

It’s a story that appealed to Hudson, who has a neat line in sunny romcoms, with starring roles in 2003’s How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days alongside Matthew McConaughey, You, Me And Dupree and Bride Wars.

“I’m super passionate about being active and having a healthy lifestyle,” confirms the mum-of-two (Hudson has two boys: Ryder, 12, with former husband Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson, and four-year-old Bingham with Muse singer Matt Bellamy, who she was with from 2010-2014).

“The book’s about confidence in women, especially empowerment, throwing the sort of idealist idea of beauty out of the window and really looking at the reality of how we live and construct our own lives.”

A savvy businesswoman, she also launched a fitness clothing range, Fabletics.

Hudson’s new film, Rock The Kasbah, however, isn’t one her sons will be sitting down to watch any time soon.

Starring Bill Murray, Bruce Willis and Zooey Deschanel, it follows Richie Lanz (Murray), a down on his luck rock manager who takes his last remaining client on a tour of Afghanistan.

After finding himself abandoned in Kabul, penniless and without his passport, he discovers Salima, a young village girl with an extraordinary voice, and manages her through Afghanistan’s version of American Idol, the wildly popular Afghan Star.

Hudson plays Merci, a woman seeking a way out of prostitution, who becomes Richie’s guide and muse in Kabul.

“I think what Merci really sees when she first hears Salima’s voice is just dollar signs,” says the actress. “She really gets invested in this young girl’s plight, going against all of the odds and following her passion.”

Murray was somewhat of an inspiration for Hudson, who says working with him was like witnessing a “masterclass in comedy”.

“The thing about Bill is that he never really misses,” she adds. “He tries one thing and it’s funny. He tries another thing and it’s funny.”

Happy to be in a position where she can work with Murray one month and wow her sons the next, she’s adds: “I’m passionate about life. I’m just so happy to be here.”