Kate Hudson on Finding Inspiration From Kurt Russell in 'Deepwater Horizon'

Hudson portrays the real-life wife of one of the oil rig explosion's survivors.

ByABC News
September 28, 2016, 9:33 AM

— -- Kate Hudson said she felt the added pressure in “Deepwater Horizon” of playing the real-life wife of one of the survivors of the 2010 BP oil rig explosion.

“You have this sort of extra, added thing in the back of your head going, you know, the families are going to see this movie so you really want to be careful,” Hudson said today on “Good Morning America.” “There’s no carelessness going into making a film like that when you know that the families are watching.”

Hudson, 37, plays Felicia Williams in "Deepwater Horizon." Williams is the wife of Mike Williams, portrayed by Mark Wahlberg, one of the very last people to escape the Gulf of Mexico explosion that ultimately killed 11 people.

“The character represents all of the families on the Deepwater who were left in the dark for many hours,” Hudson said. “Not knowing what was going on with their families. Not having any idea if they were going to come home.”

"I literally get the chills every time I talk about it," she said.

Hudson got to spend time on set talking with Deepwater survivors and their families, including Felicia Williams.

“She’s a wonderful, very strong woman,” Hudson said.

"Deepwater Horizon" also stars Hudson's stepfather, Kurt Russell, who portrays the man in charge of the oil rig’s crew. The actress said being on set with Russell, the longtime partner of Hudson’s mom, Goldie Hawn, left her re-inspired as an actor.

“It was a reminder of me of where I fell in love with making movies,” Hudson said. “It’s really boring [being on set] but for me as a kid, I loved it. I loved every aspect of it and I loved watching Kurt because he’s such a phenomenal actor.

“He puts so much care and effort into his roles in a way that I think is different than a lot of young people I’ve worked with,” she said. “It’s just a different mentality.”

"Deepwater Horizon," opens in theaters Sept. 30, 2016.