Actress Kate Hudson performed her new song “Gonna Find Out” on “The Tonight Show” on Thursday — yes, she’s branching out into the music world — and looked back on her 20-year friendship with host Jimmy Fallon in a social media post Saturday. On Instagram, she wrote, “I must do a @jimmyfallon appreciation post. You see, we met when I was 20 years old and we were just starting out our careers.”
“Jimmy was on SNL and we met on that little thing called ‘Almost Famous’. I loved Jimmy from the second we met and we spent a ton of time laughing, playing, dancing and listening to a ton of music,” she continued.
“To play on his show @fallontonight the other night was one of the great full circle moments. I felt like I was 20 again and the only thing missing was me Jimmy and Horatio going to the subway bar we used to go to after the show. I felt like my whole body was smiling this night. Thanks for the support Jimmy. ‘Twas a Glorious time! I love you tons! 🤍✌️,” Hudson concluded.
The Cameron Crowe-directed “Almost Famous” was released on Sept. 13, 2000. The movie, which mirrored parts of Crowe’s own life, was set in San Diego in 1969 and starred Patrick Fugit as William Miller, an aspiring music journalist who goes on the road with his favorite band, Stillwater.
Hudson starred as Penny Lane, a groupie who becomes his friend and somewhere between a love interest and a mentor. Fallon played Dennis Hope, a manager who worked for the band. In an interview with The Uncool, Crowe revealed that Natalie Portman was almost cast in Hudson’s role.
“Kate Hudson was the Penny Lane who was completely fresh, but you believe she had a past, which was perfect for the movie I wanted to make,” he said. “That mix and match happens a lot and you have to make these huge casting decisions on the spur of the moment and they last forever.”
Crowe also said that Fallon wasn’t initially cast as Hope, but that things ultimately worked out how they were meant to. “Tobey [Maguire] was a possibility for the manager who comes in. Scheduling was the culprit there, but I just loved what Jimmy Fallon did with it. I’d love to work with Tobey Maguire sometime,” Crowe explained.
