Kate Hudson Reveals Huge Role Nicole Kidman Stole From Her

Kate Hudson lost the lead role of Satine in Moulin Rouge! to Nicole Kidman.

By Chad Langen | Published

Moulin Rouge!

Even A-list actors like Kate Hudson don’t always get the roles they fancy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 43-year-old star recently appeared on The World’s First Podcast, where she revealed that she was extremely bummed to lose out on a role in Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 feature Moulin Rouge! She had auditioned for the role of Satine in the Oscar-nominated film, but she was beat out by Nicole Kidman.

It really is all about who you know, according to Kate Hudson. She recalled being in the auditioning process and learning that Nicole Kidman also wanted the part of Satine. Since the American-born Australian actress had a relationship with the movie’s director, Hudson wasn’t too surprised when the role went to Kidman.

Still, Kate Hudson was extremely disappointed when she didn’t get the part. She said she desperately wanted the role, particularly since “it was written at the time for a 19-year-old girl.” Additionally, the Oscar-nominated actress recalled falling in love with Baz Luhrmann after doing her audition.

After praising the filmmaker for being terrific and energetic, Kate Hudson said that she felt a connection to the way he did things. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like she has any hard feelings toward Nicole Kidman. She said, “Of course, [I] totally got it, because it’s Nicole.”

Moulin Rouge! went on to earn $180 million at the global box office. In addition, it nabbed eight Oscar nominations at the 74th Annual Academy Awards, including best picture and best actress for Nicole Kidman. The movie won two Oscars for best costume design and best art direction.

In the film, Christian (Ewan McGregor), a young wannabe Bohemian poet living in 1899 Paris, defies his father by joining the colorfully diverse clique inhabiting the dark, fantastical underworld of Paris’ now legendary Moulin Rouge. Kate Hudson coveted the part of Satine, the club’s highest-paid star with whom Christian finds himself plunged into a passionate but ultimately tragic love affair. Their romance is played out against the infamous club, which is a meeting place of high life and low, where slumming aristocrats and the fashionably rich mingled with the workers, artists, Bohemians, actresses, and courtesans.

There’s no denying that Nicole Kidman turned in a remarkable performance in Moulin Rouge!, but we can’t help but wonder what Kate Hudson would have brought to the role. She was nominated for an Oscar a year prior for her turn in Almost Famous, but could she have wowed the folks at the Academy two years in a row? I guess we’ll never know.

Fortunately, despite not being cast in Moulin Rouge!, Kate Hudson’s career as an actress has been quite prosperous, to say the least. Last year, she earned heaps of praise for her performance as Birdie Jay in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. She was part of the ensemble cast of the Rian Johnson-directed sequel, starring alongside Daniel Craig, Dave Bautista, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, and Noah Segan.

danie craig glass onion
Glass Onion

Next up, Kate Hudson will appear in this year’s comedy A Little White Lie. Directed by Michael Maren, the film centers on a handyman living in New York City, who is mistaken for a famous and famously reclusive writer. He’s brought to a university where is to deliver a keynote address to save the school’s literary festival.