Goldie Hawn admits she doesn't 'have a choice' in personal update about granddaughter, 12


Oliver Hudson's mother, Goldie Hawn, shared a life update about her granddaughter, Rio, and her aspirations to follow in the family's Hollywood footsteps


goldie hawn at happy gilmore 2 premiere© Variety via Getty Images
Jenni McKnightUS Lifestyle Editor
August 19, 2025
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Goldie Hawn has been a Hollywood icon for decades and passed her talents down to her children, Kate Hudson, Oliver Hudson, and Wyatt Russell.

So, it should come as no surprise that some of her grandchildren may also have a desire to follow in the family footsteps.

Goldie's 12-year-old granddaughter, Rio, whose parents are Oliver and Erinn Bartlett, has caught the acting bug, and Goldie admitted she and her family "don't have a choice" but to accept Rio's show business dreams.

"I don't think we have a choice frankly," the 79-year-old told Access Hollywood with a smile about Rio's aspirations during a joint interview with her and dad Oliver.

WATCH: Goldie Hawn's granddaughter talks about acting future

"Same with Kate [Hudson]. I didn't have a choice, and I think this one, we don't have a choice."

While she may not have a choice about Rio's career goals, Goldie added: "All I want her to be is happy. I don't care about anything else."

© Getty Images
Goldie's granddaughter, Rio Hudson, wants to follow in the family footsteps

Oliver, who is also the father of sons Wilder, 17, and Bodhi, 14, is just as supportive of his daughter's dreams, but intends to introduce her to the entertainment industry "slowly."

"She wants it," he told the outlet. "She's an amazing dancer. It's in her genes. But we're gonna do plays first. We're gonna go slowly."

© WireImage
Oliver and his wife (L) are introducing Rio to show business 'slowly'

Grandchildren

Goldie adores her eight grandchildren, who range in age from 18 months to 21, but she has given herself strict rules to ensure her grandmother duties don't overstep her children's parenting.

Goldie and her partner of over 40 years, Kurt Russell, are grandparents to Oliver's kids, Kate's kids, Ryder, 21, Bingham, 14, and Rani Rose, six, plus Wyatt's kids, Buddy, four, and Boone, one.

© Getty Images
Goldie loves being a grandmother

Speaking to Hoda Kotb on her "Making Space" podcast in November, Goldie revealed that she gives her kids full "autonomy" when it comes to her growing brood of grandchildren.

"I don't think I've changed at all," she said about becoming a grandmother. "I will say that when Ryder was born, Kate's first, I still had a kid at home," she added, referring to her youngest son, Wyatt, now 39.

"My [grandkids] range from 20 to seven months, so I have a big, wide range of them. I will say this, being a go-go grandmother – I love it. It's an unbelievable weave that starts to happen when your children start to have children, but they're the parents."

© Getty Images
Goldie doesn't interfere with her children's parenting styles

She explained: "Where one has to be careful is that we don't want to be a horn that's always saying, 'Why'd you do that?' 'They should do this' and whatever. Kurt and I give them full autonomy."

Being a grandmother, however, has made Goldie pine for the days she had young children at home.

© Getty Images
Goldie misses having children at home

Goldie continued: "With that, I will say I miss being a mother of children – I loved being a mother.

"When a child looks up to you, my Wyatt used to say, 'Mother, may I kiss your royal ring?' you know, because I always had these big rings.

"I mean, they love you so much, and that's the one thing we talk about parenting. Remember that no one will love you like your children do – and that's the most important part of your life."

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