Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson on the musical alchemy of "Song Sung Blue"

1 day ago 7

Last week, astatine a New York barroom called Old Mates, Australian icon Hugh Jackman sang a fewer songs by an American icon, Neil Diamond. He's been doing a batch of this lately.

His caller film, "Song Sung Blue," is based connected the real-life communicative of Mike and Claire Sardina, personage impersonators who teamed up to signifier a Neil Diamond tribute enactment by the sanction of Lightning & Thunder. Jackman was formed aboriginal connected arsenic Mike, and manager Craig Brewer was inactive looking for idiosyncratic to play Claire, erstwhile Jackman got an thought from watching TV: "Yeah. It's this little-known show, 'CBS Sunday Morning,'" helium said.

In April 2024, "Sunday Morning" aired a illustration of Kate Hudson and her blossoming euphony career.

Kate Hudson connected her "Glorious" album 07:59

Jackman was contacted by a person and assistant, Michelle: "She texts me: 'Are you watching "CBS Sunday Morning"?' I said, 'I'm not.' Normally I am, by the mode – that sounded sucky, but it's true! I usually am! And I wasn't – I turned it on, and determination was Kate promoting her debut solo album. I texted Craig Brewer, the writer-director, and I said, 'Kate Hudson is Claire. Claire is Kate.' And helium said, 'Oh my God, perfect.'"

"Perfect" mightiness beryllium the close word: Hudson's crook arsenic Claire Sardina has already earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

Jackman said, "As overmuch arsenic one could spot it and consciousness it, thing prepared maine from time 1 of rehearsal done to the end, 'til I saw the movie, of Kate's performance. Because it was like, I could consciousness – you know, you conscionable know, like, 'Ah, she's gonna beryllium perfect,' 'cause she's amazing, and I emotion her, and I emotion her arsenic an actress. But erstwhile there's someway an alchemy of a portion to an histrion astatine that time, erstwhile that each comes together? Magic."

The performances are magical, but what happened to the Sardinas disconnected signifier was thing but: betwixt gigs, they endured poverty, addiction, and immoderate incredibly atrocious luck.

"They spell done truthful much," Hudson said. "And if it wasn't a existent story, it would astir beryllium – you wouldn't judge it, you know?"

The movie is astatine its bosom a emotion story, and you could accidental the 2 pb actors person chemistry to burn. Yet, Jackman and Hudson did not cognize each different good earlier the task began. "It's go a spot of a joke," said Jackman. "Because I retrieve erstwhile we archetypal met, but she has nary recollection. That's the content I made!"

And now? "Oh, well, precise well," said Hudson. "Except consummating. Beyond that, pretty, beauteous overmuch everything!"

Hudson was apprehensive erstwhile Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell watched the film: "Everyone loved the movie. My large happening was thinking, I was watching my ma watching it. I was like, 'God …' due to the fact that I'm so, I guess, not the glamorous mentation of myself – oregon adjacent honestly my version. You know, I was a spot heavier and didn't spot my tegument idiosyncratic for a while, you know. I was like, 'God, it indispensable beryllium truthful absorbing for my ma to spot her middle-aged girl connected the screen.' She indispensable person been like, 'Oh my God, she's middle-aged!'"

Still, it seems mediate property has been bully to Kate Hudson, adjacent successful a twelvemonth that would enactment the grey successful anyone's hair. Last January, a wind-driven firestorm incinerated the Pacific Palisades conception of Los Angeles, wherever Hudson has lived for astir of her life. Her location is 1 of the fewer inactive standing, but her vicinity is afloat of vacant tons wherever her friends' houses utilized to beryllium – and immoderate of the places she treasured the astir went up successful smoke.

She showed america astir what was near of the neighborhood: "Every clip I thrust by here, taking the kids from, like, shot oregon soccer, you know, I thrust by and I go, 'Oh, that's wherever mommy had her archetypal kiss.' And present you're similar … it's not there. And that's what I mean by, like, thing lasts."

But successful the end, location is wherever you consciousness loved. For Hudson, it's inactive her assemblage successful Los Angeles. And for Jackman, it's his pub successful Manhattan: "I travel successful here, I get a batch of, 'Ah, Hughie, travel implicit and person a beer, mate.' I said, 'Ah, I gotta go.' 'Ah, travel connected mate, don't beryllium a ****. Let's go. Let's person a beer. Buy maine a beer. You tin spend it!' A batch of that."

I asked, "Can you amusement up someplace and benignant of beryllium a regular dude?"

"Oh yeah," helium replied.

"You tin amusement up present and beryllium a regular dude?"

"Yeah, but I conscionable person to beryllium prepared for them to marque amusive of me!" Jackman said, "which is simply a motion of affection!"

Jackman was prepping for a small Neil Diamond tribute astatine Old Mates aboriginal that night, and conscionable similar successful the movie, Jackman and Hudson did what Neil Diamond himself would've done: rise the roof.

Watch Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson execute "Sweet Caroline" astatine Old Mates:

One last note: Neil Diamond himself is not successful the film, but Jackman says helium loved it – and gave him the eventual stamp of approval: "He enactment his limb astir maine similar that, and I benignant of leant, and helium conscionable kissed maine connected the forehead. And helium said, 'You did good, kid!'"

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Extended interrogation - Kate Hudson & Hugh Jackman (Video)

Extended interview: Kate Hudson & Hugh Jackman 26:25

To ticker a trailer for "Song Sung Blue" click connected the video subordinate below:

SONG SUNG BLUE - Plan 30 - Only successful Theaters This Christmas by Focus Features on YouTube

For much info: