Overview

• Kate Hudson says she was first cast as Anita before persuading Cameron Crowe—after multiple auditions—to let her play Penny Lane, adding that early attachments included Sarah Polley and Brad Pitt before they fell through.
• Billy Crudup ultimately took the role of Russell Hammond opposite Patrick Fugit’s teen journalist, with Hudson calling the experience life-changing for her career.
• Entertainment Weekly highlights Eric Stonestreet’s brief hotel-clerk role and his memory of initially reading for Lester Bangs before being cast in the smaller part.
• The film’s standing endures with an Academy Award for Crowe’s original screenplay, Golden Globes and a Grammy, followed by a Broadway adaptation.
• Anniversary pieces revisit the movie’s music and style, noting Nancy Wilson’s authorship of Stillwater’s “Fever Dog,” contributions from Peter Frampton and Mike McCready, and Betsy Heimann’s now-iconic costumes.