Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson worked together to recreate Neil Diamond's songs
Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features
NEED TO KNOW
- Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman play real-life couple Claire and Mike Sardina in Song Sung Blue
- The movie, which is now streaming on Netflix, was inspired by the Milwaukee-based Neil Diamond tribute act Lightning & Thunder
- Hudson and Jackman have musical backgrounds that they drew from for their roles
Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman combined their talent for the movie Song Sung Blue.
Hudson and Jackman play the real-life couple Claire and Mike Sardina, who were part of the Milwaukee-based Neil Diamond tribute act Lightning & Thunder.
The movie, which premiered on Christmas Day 2025 and is now streaming on Netflix, is based on the 2008 documentary by the same name that follows the band's early days and Claire and Mike’s relationship.
Ahead of the official theatrical release, Hudson and Jackman praised each other’s work and their experience on set. During a joint interview with PEOPLE at the 2025 Gotham Awards, Hudson complimented her costar, sharing, “His superpower is to connect, whether it’s onstage, whether it’s on set, whether it’s with anyone and everyone.”
Jackman also said that working alongside Hudson made him “a better actor" and mentioned her having the ability to be "prepared" while also "instinctive" with her work. The combination proved to be essential for them both as they took on the roles, parts that were different from what the actors had done in the past.
So, are Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman really singing in Song Sung Blue? Here’s everything to know about their performances, including their past musical experiences.
Are Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman singing in Song Sung Blue?
Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features
Yes, it’s really Hudson and Jackman singing in the biographical musical drama.
“We recorded everything, and we sang everything live,” he said on The Howard Stern Show in December 2025. “I’ve done two musicals. Les Misérables, which we sang everything live, and The Greatest Showman, where everything was recorded. So this was like a hybrid.”
That same month, when asked on The Kelly Clarkson Show about what it was like to perform together, Hudson said, “It was the best.”
A behind-the-scenes look shared exclusively with PEOPLE a week before the movie’s premiere captured Hudson and Jackman as they recorded Diamond’s tune “Cherry, Cherry” in the studio, spliced between clips from the actual film.
Scott Bomar, who wrote the score and served as the movie’s executive producer on the soundtrack, told PEOPLE that it was the first song adapted for the project.
"I immediately heard Kate sing the background vocal part from Neil's original version,” he said. “This is the only song on the soundtrack, which we added some additional instruments to for the soundtrack version."
Did Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson know each other before Song Sung Blue?
Credit: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Despite their on-screen chemistry as Claire and Mike, Hudson and Jackman didn’t know each other before Song Sung Blue.
While appearing on CBS Sunday Morning in December 2025, Jackman revealed that they only had briefly crossed paths. He explained, “It’s become a bit of a joke because I remember when we first met, but she has no recollection.”
“I don’t remember meeting him, which is so weird, because it was in my mom’s house,” Hudson said.
Though they weren’t familiar with each other before the movie, Jackman was instrumental in getting Hudson on board the film.
During the interview, the actor confessed that after seeing Hudson performing on CBS Sunday Morning, he immediately texted writer and director Craig Brewer to try to get her attached to the project.
“I turn it on, and there was Kate promoting her debut solo album," Jackman recalled. "I texted Craig Brewer, the writer-director, and I said, ‘Kate Hudson is Claire, Claire is Kate.’ And he just said, ‘Oh my god, perfect.’ "
Jackman also took the opportunity to praise Hudson’s performance in the movie, sharing, “As much as I could see it and feel it, nothing prepared me from day one of rehearsal through ’til the end, until I saw the movie, of Kate’s performance.”
“I could feel it. You just know, I’m like, ‘She’s going to be perfect, she’s amazing, and I love her, and I love her as an actress,’ " he continued. “But then when there’s somehow an alchemy of a part to an actress, at that time, when that all comes together … magic.”
Did Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson have singing experience before Song Sung Blue?
Credit: Mark Von Holden/Variety via Getty; Moviestore/Shutterstock
While Jackman may be well-known for his portrayal as Wolverine in the X-Men franchise, he’s made a name for himself in musical theater.
He has starred on Broadway several times, earning a Tony Award in 2004 for his role in The Boy from Oz and appearing most recently in the 2022 revival of The Music Man.
Jackman is no stranger to a musical film, either. He starred as Jean Valjean in the 2012 movie adaptation of Les Misérables, before appearing in 2017's The Greatest Showman. He also hosted his From New York, with Love concert series at Radio City Music Hall in 2025.
Hudson comes from a Hollywood dynasty, the daughter of actress Goldie Hawn who was also raised by her mom’s partner Kurt Russell.
Hudson earned an Oscar nomination for her role as Penny Lane in Almost Famous in 2000 and has fronted several romantic comedies, including 2003's How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. In recent years, she has starred in 2022's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and led the comedy show Running Point.
Outside of her acting roles, Hudson also got to live out a lifelong dream and released her debut album Glorious in 2024.
When asked by Oprah Winfrey, during a December 2025 episode of The Oprah Podcast, what it felt like to be recognized for both her acting prowess and her voice, Hudson explained, “I just love to sing. I think that’s where I really relate to Claire.”
“It was that moment in my life where I was like, ‘You know, I’d be happy sitting in a little bar with three people watching and singing, or no one watching,' " she added.
How did Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson prepare for Song Sung Blue?
Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features
Hudson and Jackman first sang together before production began on Song Sung Blue. They reflected on the moment during a December 2025 appearance on the Today show, with Hudson revealing, “We recorded before we started any filming.”
“We sat down on a sofa … with two microphones, and we had that moment of like, ‘How’s this going to work?’ " she recalled. “We didn’t really know each other.”
Jackman added, “You seemed very at home. I’m a bit nervous in the recording studio, more nervous there than onstage, but you were very at home, I thought.”
After Hudson admitted that she was “nervous” to see if things would work out, Jackman said, “It felt easy, and I just remember as we were singing — all of Neil’s songs are basically him alone, so all of the harmonies and this duet were kind of invented.”
Hudson also reflected on their early recording sessions with The Hollywood Reporter in October 2025, explaining that they were working on “finding the vibe.”
She added, “It was a great way to get to know each other for us too because we’re in the studio for hours — before we got to go on set and play this very intimate married couple, we got to spend good time together working on the music.”
What have Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson said about working together on Song Sung Blue?
Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Focus Features via Getty
Hudson and Jackman have both opened up about their experiences filming Song Sung Blue, including their mutual appreciation for each other.
The actress spoke to Variety in November 2025 about whether or not she was afraid to take on the role of Claire, noting that she wasn’t scared, but rather she was “excited” by the opportunity.
“The only thing I was concerned about was whether Hugh and I would work well together. The movie doesn’t function if you don’t believe the love story,” she explained. “I remember telling him, I’m super tactile — we really need to get to know each other and find this intimacy."
Hudson continued, "I didn’t know him well, and I’d never seen him in a role like this. But the first thing we did was sing together in the recording studio, and it came so easily. We had great conversations, and it just clicked.”
The duo ended up collaborating well as costars and on-screen partners, with Jackman telling the Los Angeles Times in November 2025, “It felt easy to just inhabit these characters.”
“The word that comes to me is trust,” he said. “All of the scenes, particularly in that darker period, we could just live in that — the frustration, the paranoia, the anger, the loss, the fear. Every take felt really very different. I felt very free.”
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