20 Actors Who Quit Movies For Insane Reasons

When Kate Hudson came to prominence for her Oscar-nominated performance in 2000's Almost Famous, many weren't aware that she was the progeny of Hollywood royalty, being the daughter of Goldie Hawn and stepdaughter of Kurt Russell.

And this was entirely by design, as Hudson wanted to get her start in the industry without being branded a nepotism hire - or as we call them nowadays, a "nepo baby."

In fact, Hudson's first major role in a big movie was almost in John Carpenter's 1996 sequel to Escape from New York, Escape from L.A.

Earlier this year, Hudson revealed that she actually auditioned for a part in the film and won it - most likely the President's daughter, Utopia - but ultimately decided to turn it down because she didn't want to be "defined by being Kurt’s daughter" at the very beginning of her career.

Given the cut-throat nature of Hollywood and understandable tendency for people to lean on any advantage they have - especially nepotism - it's a laudably mature perspective, especially considering that Hudson was still in her teens at the time.

It all paid off, as Hudson became an Oscar nominee just a few short years later, but it's also easy to appreciate how walking away from a huge movie was a massive gamble.