has always wanted to do it all. She broke into the industry as an Oscar nominee, the scene-stealing heart ofbefore going on to define a decades’ worth of studio-driven rom-coms. She became a movie star—only, a very specific kind.Over a long lunch in Los Angeles, Hudson tells me she saw her career getting a bit too predictable. She herself was evolving, but even as A-list-er she felt limited by studio executives, decisions made in editing rooms, and the monotony of the work she was being offered.
The challenge for Birdie was how to ground her. Characters that are larger than life on the page don’t work as well if they’re not grounded or rooted in some purpose for their behavior. That for me was the fun part—this deep need to seek validation, to need to be loved, be seen, to be at the center of everyone’s love.
I don’t put that kind of pressure on myself. Because of how I grew up, I know how the business works, and I know that people build you up to tear you down. I’ve seen it happen to multiple people. I’ve seen people go from success to plateaus, to dips, to valleys. I’ve been at this for two decades, I’ve had moments that have felt so elevated, and I have moments that have felt very low. I’ve had people write kind things, and people write very cruel things. Unnecessarily.
Me, too. I miss Nora Ephron's talent so much!