@Courtesy of Focus Features
Song Sung Blue : Based on a true story, two down-on-their-luck musicians (Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson) form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it’s never too late to find love and follow your dreams.
Director : Craig Brewer
Producer : John Davis, John Fox, Craig Brewer
Screenwriter : Craig Brewer
Distributor : Focus Features
Production Co : Davis Entertainment
Rating : PG-13 Genre : Drama, Music
Original Language : English
Release Date (Theaters) : Dec 25, 2025, Wide
Runtime : 2h
@Courtesy of Focus Features
Press Conference With Stars Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson and Director Craig Brewer
Q: What struck you when you first saw this documentary and said: “I have to recreate this in a narrative?” And what elements from that documentary were essential for what you wanted to bring into this feature?
Craig Brewer: The first thing that really got me was that it was a love story that was mature, a love story that I could relate to. You’ve tried things and maybe it didn’t work out, and that goes into the things that you want in terms of your dreams, in your career or your creativity. Can you go after something in your 40s and 50s that you were dreaming about when you were a teenager? At the same time it had this music element to it that I just responded to so much. It was love at first sight with this rather obscure documentary that a lot of people didn’t even know about. I remember sitting there in that theater with about four people in the audience. And I was like: this is it. This is the movie that I’m supposed to make. I’ve just got to figure out a way to get it made.
Q: That first scene of you all with the piano and guitar, when did you first feel that you were gonna make this beautiful music together? Was it in rehearsal? Was that day on set?
Hugh Jackman: I remember the read-through where people were crying. I’ve never seen that in a reading. There were some Jersey mics there, we were having a little sandwich, and Kate turned to me and she said: “This movie only works if we work.” She was absolutely right. We went literally straight into the recording studio. In the movie, we sing things live. We also recorded everything. It was Craig’s choice, except for one scene that was pretty much live. When we were in there, that’s when we really bonded as people, as actors, and as Lightning and Thunder. My memory of singing Holly Holy when we were sitting on the couch, they just put a mic in front of us. And that’s how we recorded, just sitting there. I got chills. That’s when I knew we would blend musically.
Kate Hudson: I agree. Holly Holy was one of those moments because in the movie when we’re looking at each other, we were singing next to each other and looking at each other. The studio is a very vulnerable place because you know they’re picking up everything from your voice, as artists you don’t like certain things but you have to try things and be open, so it was a great entry point for us to break open a bit and be vulnerable with each other. Holly Holy really was that.
Hugh Jackman: I didn’t know till later that this number, because where it comes in the film, it’s such a big turning point for them as a couple.
Q: What really moved you about Mike and Claire’s relationship both on and off stage as you both have similar musicians careers?
Hugh Jackman: This movie is a love letter to tip jar musicians. I say that with such respect, there’re so many brilliant musicians who maybe not even quite make a living, but still do it because they have to. They love it, they will get up anywhere and sing whether it’s at a Thai restaurant or opening for Pearl Jam: it’s the same impulse. About Mike, he wouldn’t let it go. I somehow think Mike’s got a lot to do with his movie being made because he would not give up on that dream. Now, 30 years later, here we are. That story and his music is getting out there. What I loved about these two was how they rescued each other. They went through a lot, but they believed in each other. They were there for each other.
Kate Hudson: Everybody has their own personal love story with music. But when you meet someone who has that feeling, you can’t explain it unless you know it. Mike and Claire and me and Hugh have that similar thing where it moves you so much that you can connect through it without having to say a word, you can sing it. It’s a very special type of connection.
Q: How did immersing yourselves in Neil Diamond’s music and in this story of tribute and reinvention shape your own connection to performing or music?
Kate Hudson: Delving into his catalog was one of the great discoveries for me. I didn’t even know about Cherry Cherry or Crunchy Granola Suite. Not even Suleiman. I couldn’t believe how prolific he is as a writer. The thing that carries through his catalog is this sense of hope. He’s such a hopeful writer. It was a wonderful discovery. He wrote music to connect with audiences, there’s so much joy in his music.
Craig Brewer: The great thing about starting a project is that it opens a window into research. You think you know a song and then you start to learn about what created the song. What I came to understand is that Neil has a real understanding about the human heart feeling isolated and alone and trying to move forward. Even songs like Cracklin’ Rosie, he wrote it because a bunch of guys were together on Friday night because they didn’t have any dates, so they got a bottle of rosé and they would drink together. Learning about that he came out to Hollywood to audition for the Dustin Hoffman role for Lenny and he tanked the audition. It didn’t go well, he started to wrestle with his identity in this Los Angeles apartment, he started writing and really questioning himself. I’d been hearing his music my whole life, but I began to understand his music a little bit more. The music found me, you just reach a certain time in your life where music finds where you are spiritually and emotionally.
Hugh Jackman: Everyone knows the power of music. It means a lot. But when you see the movie, you can feel the power of music through character, through story. Craig did that. It’s not just a skill. There’s something magical about that. That’s Craig as a writer and as a director. When I really listened to Neil, he’s an amazing singer. He was a canter when he began, and sometimes he’s got that kind of rock, he’s got a little bit of a crack, and then it’s very pure. He can sing anywhere up and down his range, at any volume, at any tonal quality.
@Courtesy of Focus Features
Q: What are your feelings about how she reacted to what happened to her, especially how it changed her attitude?
Kate Hudson: Anything could happen at any moment. It’s such an essence of who Claire is, the purity of Claire. She’s like that now. She lives her life very with joy and purpose, she brings Mike with her everywhere still to this day. It’s really that moment where you look at your life and you go: “What are we doing if we’re not doing exactly what we want to be doing? What makes us feel good and happy and connected?”
Q: Neil Diamond has a very specific songwriting style. Can you talk about how you adapted your own voices to his musicality?
Hugh Jackman: It was a really cool journey for me. I’m glad we started in the recording studio because finding Mike’s voice, that was a journey. I had my own singing style, I’ve got to lose that. I had the documentary, and of course, I had Neil’s music. Craig was like: “ Listen to it, but don’t be wedded to it. Don’t sort of lock in. We don’t want an impersonation of either.” I listened to things, but we were creating together where we were open. There are parts of my voice that I’m insecure about or worried about. It just felt open and collaborative. I think we did it together, found it together.
Kate Hudson: We were finding harmonies. For some of Neil’s songs we added harmonies. That was very collaborative.
Craig Brewer: That was the real gift that Kate brought. She really knew how to do those harmonies on songs that don’t exist with harmonies. It elevated the music immensely.
Kate Hudson: It was really fun, that was my happy place in the studio. On some of the songs, Craig would be like:”Let her go. Let it rip. Do your thing”.
Craign Brewer: I did see a little bit of fear in her. I was like: “Get in that booth and do it. Don’t give me any lip on it.”
Hugh Jackman: That’s what Craig can do on film, capture those moments that happen in a room that are so surprising and give you tingles.
Q: Have you ever met someone who impersonates you? What does it feel like? Have you met any doppelgangers is what we’re basically saying?
Hugh Jackman: In terms of actors, not really. Recently, someone was trying to show me someone who impersonates me, but I think it was more satire.
Kate Hudson: The only thing for me is the characters. There’s a lot of Penny Lanes out there. Every Halloween, I get that a lot. I’ll be walking down the street on Halloween and run into Three Penny Lane.
Q: The film touches on serious themes such as disability and alcoholism, yet unlike many biographical dramas, it seems to intentionally keep those elements in the background, allowing audiences to reflect on them more deeply afterwards. Was this a deliberate creative choice?
Craig Brewer: It was, because one thing that I knew was going to happen was that people were going to watch this movie, they were going to think he’s got a self-destructive personality. What I found most inspiring about Mike Sardina is that all the way until he passed away, he was sober and he committed to sobriety. He really committed to his passion and his love and his family. That’s the greater spiritual lesson that we learned from Lightning and Thunder: you can move through your life with problems, with the sins and bad things that you’ve done to others in our life and say: “Wait a minute, at a certain point I’ve gotta be able to move forward with some grace, with some optimism and commit myself to a new ideal of myself”.
Q: How did you train for those duets and combine your vocal strengths?
Hugh Jackman: I guess the training was in the recording studio. That’s where we got to sing together every day. A lot of it was just this beautiful magical surprise, like unwrapping this gift. When KAte and I sang together it felt magical.
Kete Hudson: I think our training has been our lives. We met at a certain point in our life, all of the experiences that we’ve had and all of the things that we’ve been through. We were able to access those things, and then somehow it came out through our roles. The right characters at the right time.
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Here’s the trailer for Song Sung Blue: