Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman are no strangers to performing onstage.
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, in the film Song Sung Blue.
The movie, which premiered on Christmas Day, 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?
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.”