Hugh Jackman and Craig Brewer serve ‘Song Sung Blue’ custard at Kopp’s
Actor Hugh Jackman and writer/director Craig Brewer serve a special flavor of the day, Song Sung Blueberry, at Kopp’s Frozen Custard as part of the Milwaukee premiere.
Hugh Jackman arrived at Kopp’s Frozen Custard in Greenfield on Dec. 2 and traded in his superhero persona to serve custard to an estimated 1,200 waiting fans.
The actor began scooping at 2:30 p.m. after Kopp’s employees at the 7631 W. Layton Ave. location showed him how to make the perfect scoop.
Jackman wore a name tag that said “Lightning,” a nod to “Song Sung Blue,” the upcoming film he stars in alongside Kate Hudson that premiered that evening at the Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee. Director and writer of the film, Craig Brewer, joined Jackman shortly after the event began.
In the movie, Jackman and Hudson play Milwaukee couple and musicians Mike and Claire Sardina, who performed in a Neil Diamond and Patsy Cline tribute act Lightning & Thunder beginning in the late ’80s.
Flavor of the day called an ’11 out of 10′
In honor of the film, Kopp’s named its flavor of the day “Song Sung Blueberry” — a blueberry custard with cream cheese custard, swirls of blueberry ribbon, pastry pieces and streusel crumble.
Rachel Cartwright, Sardina’s daughter, enjoyed the flavor of the day before Jackman arrived. Cartwright, who rated the flavor an “11 out of 10,” said attending the event brought back nostalgic memories.
“This moment lets me relive a lot of moments,” Cartwright said. “Some of them a little sad, but some of them glorious at the same time.”
Cartwright described Jackman and Hudson as “sweet people” and said she couldn’t wait to see the audience’s reaction during the premiere.
“Hugh brought Lightning to life, and I fell in love with Hugh as a person — but I also fell in love with the character he was playing,” she said. “I want everyone to watch the movie — it puts Milwaukee in a really glorious spotlight.”
Hugh Jackman fans endure cold to meet their favorite actor
With a line wrapped around the corner and temperatures hovering at 22 degrees, fans waited patiently to meet the “X-Men” actor — and to get a free scoop of custard.
Among them was Stephanie Wehausen, who previously met Jackman in New York. She was the first person in line and said her dedication to the Australian actor brought her out early.
Wehausen said she came to the Greenfield Kopp’s the night before the event, arriving right after work.
“It was like eight, nine or ten,” she said. “No one was here, so I went home. Then I came back around midnight. I kept doing that until I finally stayed around 8 a.m.”
Wehausen, who has been a fan of Jackman since the first “X-Men” movie in 2000, was thrilled to meet him again. She told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Jackman remembered their first encounter in New York.
Joining Wehausen were Julie Roubik, Kelly Guentner and Gina Venable. The group came together to support Wehausen, meet Jackman — and get free custard.
“He’s a triple threat,” Roubik said of Jackman. “He can act, sing and dance — and on top of that, he’s just a really nice guy.”
Guentner said she was freezing but excited to meet the actor, adding that she “dragged” her friends out into the cold.
“It’s nice having line buddies,” Guentner said. “We’re all huge “X-Men” fans — so this is a fun bonding experience.”
Venable, who brought her two sons, Nathaniel and Benjamin, from Chicago, joked that she made the two get up extra early and miss school to be there. She said she appreciated that Milwaukee hosted the event instead of Chicago.
“We’re from the Chicago area, and it’s funny because I do professional costuming — L.A. and New York get all the celebrities,” she said. “But the people in Milwaukee are so good. That’s why Milwaukee’s amazing.”
Venable described Jackman as “an amazing human being with a beautiful voice.”
The group agreed the frozen custard was good — and the long wait was worth it to meet Jackman.
Jackman served about 500 customers free custard scoops during the event. He was there for a bit more than an hour.
Not all fans were able to meet Jackman, but many still caught a glimpse of the actor as he left Kopp’s smiling and waving goodbye — creating a few unforgettable memories for Milwaukee-area residents.
(This story was updated to change or add a photo or video.)
Adrienne Davis is a south suburban reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Got any tips or stories to share? Contact Adrienne at amdavis@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @AdriReportss.
