Goldie Hawn Reveals The Secret To Thirty Years With Kurt Russell

Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell have been together for a long time. They actually met in 1968, though romance didn’t become a part of their relationship until 1983. That might be the longest engagement in history, if either Hawn or Russell had ever had any intention to tie the knot. They don’t.

“A lasting relationship isn’t about marriage. It’s about compatibility and communication. And you both need to want it to work,” Ms. Hawn, now 69 years old, said. “If one person does not want it to work, it isn’t going to work. Intention is the key. It’s also about not losing yourself in each other. Being together, two pillars holding up the house and the roof, and being different, not having to agree on everything, learning how to deal with not agreeing. Everything’s a choice.”

Although there are some differences, both Goldie and Kurt came from stable, strong families and giving that to their own children has been the key to much of what they do to remain as strong with their own family.

“We talked about relationships and commonality early on. We had nannies, there’s no doubt about it. We’ve both been working. But we were very present with our children. It’s the same way we grew up. I had a working mother, Kurt did not. My mother was right there.”

Together, Russell and Hawn present a united head to a rather large extended family that includes the couple’s son Wyatt, born in 1986. Additionally, Goldie added her children, Kate and Oliver Hudson, into the mix from her former marriage to Bill Hudson. Prior to becoming involved with Ms. Hawn, Kurt was married to Season Hubley, so he also brings another son, Boston, born in 1980, to the relationship.

Goldie revealed that, of the four children, only Boston didn’t show any interest in following in their parents footsteps.

“What you prepare your children for is to be able to deal with differences, obstacles, ways of handling uncertainty,” Ms. Hawn said. “The truth is, it doesn’t matter what they would have chosen to do. Every business changes.”

Goldie Hawn hasn’t acted since 2002, but she recognizes the need for gender equality in Hollywood and that gender-based biases still exist. Ms. Hawn showed concern more for her daughter than for herself in that area, recognizing that there is still a long way to go for women in and out of Hollywood.

“I think that Katie (Hudson) deals with that on her level. She’s not me. She sees things her way, although we agree on a lot of things. In terms of the business itself, you just have to be smart.”

[Featured image: Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell courtesy of Michael Buckner/Getty Images for The Hawn Foundation]