After the two actors had finished filming the movie together, Goldie and Kurt each went their separate ways. One year later in 1969, Goldie won an Academy award for Supporting Actress for Cactus Flower as well as a Golden Globe Award.
Her career took off; she was gaining fans all over the world and was at the height of her career. She was nominated for another Academy award for her performance in Private Benjamin.
How It All Began
Goldie and Kurt first met on the set of The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band in 1968. At this point, the two were far from becoming each others one and only. In fact, they didn't at all have a love at first sight experience. When they met, they were both at the start of their careers.
This was actually the first feature film that Hawn appeared in, that is how early on she was in her career. Russell on the other hand, had only three film credits in his resume at this point.
Age Mattered
Unlike many other celebrities who often ignore age differences completely, Goldie and Kurt didn't even think of one another in the romantic sense because of the difference in their age. While they had a nice time together and respected one another, a future together didn't cross either of their minds (although we are sure that Russell was smitten by the older and svelte actress. During an interview with BBC, Goldie recalled, "I thought he was adorable, but he was much too young."
At the time that they met, Goldie had just reached the legal drinking age at 21 and Russell was still a minor at 16. While a five-year age difference doesn't make such a big difference as older adults, when you're still young, it can seem like a lot.
A Honky Tonk Woman
Goldie was an unstoppable force in the 70's. She hosted two television specials: Pure Goldie (1971) and The Goldie Hawn Special (1978). The latter was made her comeback, after she had been out of the spotlight for two years since 1976, when she played in The Dutchess and the Dirtwater Fox. During her two-year hiatus, she focused on her marriage and on the birth of her son. It seemed like everybody wanted to work with the star.
In 1972, Hawn released a solo country album for Warner Brothers. Her album Goldie was produced with the help of country sensation Dolly Parton and Buck Owens. The album, in which she covered Bob Dylan's song, received favorable reviews.
The Action Hero
In the meantime, Russell's career was on a standstill. He held minor roles in TV shows and films until landing the leading role in the TV movie, Elvis. The movie earned him an Emmy nomination. His recognition continued to grow when he played Snake Plissken in a dystopian action movie, Escape from New York and the sequel Escape from Los Angeles.
Russell would once again unite with Escape director John Carpenter to work on the horror movie The Thing.