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

Last week, at a New York bar called Old Mates, Australian icon Hugh Jackman sang a few songs by an American icon, Neil Diamond.He's been doing a lot of this lately.His new film, "Song Sung Blue," is based on the real-life story of Mike and Claire Sardina, celebrity impersonators who teamed up to form a Neil Diamond tribute act by the name of Lightning & Thunder.

Jackman was cast early on as Mike, and director Craig Brewer was still looking for someone to play Claire, when Jackman got an idea from watching TV: "Yeah.It's this little-known show, 'CBS Sunday Morning,'" he said. In April 2024, "Sunday Morning" aired a profile of Kate Hudson and her blossoming music career.

Jackman was contacted by a friend and assistant, Michelle: "She texts me: 'Are you watching "CBS Sunday Morning"?' I said, 'I'm not.' Normally I am, by the way – that sounded sucky, but it's true! I normally am! And I wasn't – I turned it on, and there 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 he said, 'Oh my God, perfect.'" "Perfect" might be the right word: Hudson's turn as Claire Sardina has already earned her a Golden Globe nomination.Jackman said, "As much as i could see it and feel it, nothing prepared me from day one of rehearsal through to the end, 'til I saw the movie, of Kate's performance.

Because it was like, I could feel – you know, you just know, like, 'Ah, she's gonna be perfect,' 'cause she's amazing, and I love her, and I love her as an actress.But when there's somehow an alchemy of a part to an actress at that time, when that all comes together? Magic."The performances are magical, but what happened to the Sardinas off stage was anything but: between gigs, they endured poverty, addiction, and some incredibly bad luck.

"They go through so much," Hudson said."And if it wasn't a true story, it would almost be – you wouldn't believe it, you know?"The film ...