Too often are people’s characters mistaken for their personality. The dumb blonde trope is as healthy as can be in old Hollywood. From Marilyn Monroe to Lisa Kudrow, if your blonde in entertainment, you’ve been casted before you even stepped into the audition. The same could be said for Goldie Hawn. Although many of her most remarkable roles are for complex and emotional characters, such as in the films Saving Private Benjamin and the First Wives Club , her most well-known characters are the type cast. Overboard and Death Becomes Her, two roles that have coincidentally been redone by Hollywood, are the first features that come to mind when thinking of Goldie Hawn.
But they should not be the only things that come to mind. Within her memoir, Hawn showcases how one can be spiritual without being religiously limited. During her times of strife and despair, she found comfort in learning about the potentials for the next life. Whether or not she believes in heaven, reincarnation, or enlightenment isn’t what gives her comfort, it is all of them together that eases her nerves. If she is allowed enlightenment when she passes, angels when she’s scared, or reincarnation for her family, or if she is allowed only one of the above would be more than enough for Hawn. But all of them together creates a buffet of calming dishes when faced with the unknown.
From her life stories, one is filled with hope. Hope for a greater purpose when it comes to us individually in this life and the next. And everyone could use some hope during a pandemic. And an angel in a car crash. I would suggest reading this book if you care to know more about that story reference.
But not only that, Hawn’s life seems littered with purposeful accidents. Her entire career was one caged step after another. After a series of rejections and poor situations, Hawn was fortunate enough to be ‘discovered,’ as it were at a massive call for dancers. From there, her projects steadily grew with her community.
As one would expect though, with work comes the occasional award, something Hawn more-or-less sidestepped in her stories. Although they were mentioned, they were never the focus. How her family took the news was a focus, her mishaps at the award show in Italy was the focus, how the trip with her sister built their relationship was the focus, the award itself was a momentary glitter on the page. Once turned, it was barely spoken of again.
Which, I would dare to say, says more about Hawn’s personality than her character. Let’s stop confusing the two, and read her memoir, A Lotus Grows in the Mud.
Art in Your World 