Goldie Hawn's Biggest Career Regret: The Sequel That Never Happened
Despite Oscar-winning success and box office gold, Hollywood's beloved star couldn't secure the one follow-up role she desperately wanted to reprise.
When you watch Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn share the screen as Santa and Mrs. Claus in Netflix's Christmas Chronicles films, their natural chemistry jumps off the screen. That spark comes from decades together as one of Hollywood's most enduring couples, both now well into their golden years but still captivating audiences during the holiday season.
Hawn's journey to stardom began almost six decades ago with an unexpected Oscar triumph. Fresh from her breakout role on the comedy variety show Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, she landed a supporting part in 1969's Cactus Flower alongside the legendary Walter Matthau. The film, which also starred screen icon Ingrid Bergman, became a surprise hit that launched Hawn into awards season contention.
Early Recognition and Career Growth
Her performance earned multiple nominations, including a Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Academy Award nod. When Oscar night arrived, Hawn pulled off an upset victory against formidable competition including Sylvia Miles for Midnight Cowboy and Susannah York for They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
The Oscar win didn't immediately catapult her to A-list status. Throughout the 1970s, she appeared in smaller productions, including an early Steven Spielberg effort called The Sugarland Express, made just before his breakthrough with Jaws. She also starred opposite Warren Beatty in Shampoo, earning another Golden Globe nomination for her efforts.
Peak Hollywood Years
Her second Oscar nomination came with 1980's Private Benjamin, marking the beginning of her most successful era. For the next fifteen years, she became one of Hollywood's most recognizable leading ladies, frequently collaborating with partner Kurt Russell in romantic comedies like Overboard. She also headlined major studio pictures with A-list co-stars including Mel Gibson in Bird on a Wire and Bruce Willis in the dark comedy Death Becomes Her.
In 1996, she joined forces with Bette Midler and Diane Keaton for what would become one of her most beloved projects: First Wives Club. The revenge comedy about three middle-aged women getting back at their unfaithful husbands struck a chord with audiences, earning $180 million worldwide against a modest $20 million budget.
The Sequel That Never Was
Despite the film's massive success, getting a follow-up made proved impossible. Hawn revealed the frustrating reality of Hollywood business practices, telling Harvard Business Review: "First Wives Club. We were all women of a certain age, and everyone took a cut in salary to do it so the studio could make what it needed. We all took a smaller back end than usual and a much smaller front end. And we ended up doing incredibly well."
She continued: "The movie was hugely successful. It made a lot of money. We were on the cover of Time magazine. But two years later, when the studio came back with a sequel, they wanted to offer us exactly the same deal. We went back to ground zero."
Multiple attempts to revive the franchise failed over the years. A 2004 effort collapsed over salary negotiations with the three stars. Netflix tried developing a sequel in 2016, but script problems killed that version. A final attempt in 2020 featuring the original trio was also scrapped before Keaton's passing.