Hugh Jackman, Claire Sardina sing ‘Sweet Caroline’ in Landmark Lanes
Hugh Jackman and Claire Sardina ended the “Song Sung Blue” Milwaukee premiere with a singing appearance at Landmark Lanes.
Hugh Jackman didn’t just visit Milwaukee — he channeled it — during the hometown premiere of “Song Sung Blue.”
Jackman, 57, and director Craig Brewer attended the Tuesday, Dec. 2, event for the film about the real-life Milwaukee couple Mike and Claire Sardina (Kate Hudson), who performed in a Neil Diamond tribute band, Lightning & Thunder, from the late 1980s through the mid-2000s.
Sardina attended the premiere along with her daughter, Rachel Cartwright, portrayed by Ella Anderson (“The Glass Castle”). The family joined Jackman and Brewer for a 12-minute introduction before the film. “This is one of the most amazing stories that celebrates Milwaukee, that celebrates Neil Diamond and family and love,” Jackman said in his introduction.
“I thought that this is the kind of movie I want to be in, this is the kind of movie we need, and tonight, after this five-year journey, is the most important night so far,” the actor continued.
During the opening remarks, the filmmakers also surprised Sardina with an engraved bench dedicated to Lightning & Thunder. The bench will have a permanent home at the Wisconsin State Fair, where the band often performed and where the couple even got married.
The packed theater was filled with relatives and longtime friends of the Sardina family, who frequently burst into cheers, as well as Greg Kohs, the documentary director. “Do you think that Lightning is here tonight …?” Claire Sardina called out to cheers, honoring her husband Mike, who died in 2006. “I love you, honey. I love you.”
Before the premiere, Jackman posted an Instagram video wearing a Cheesehead hat. “First time in Milwaukee and I am so excited,” Jackman said in the Instagram video. “And, I’m never taking cheese off my head again. I can’t believe I went 57 years without it.”
Jackman and Brewer then visited Milwaukee’s famous Kopp’s Frozen Custard, where they served a limited edition flavor, Song Sun Blueberry custard, to fans.
‘Song Sung Blue’ is a ‘Milwaukee story that people don’t even know about’
Speaking on the blue carpet before the premiere, director Brewer said Jackman pushed for the journey back to Milwaukee for the gala. “I remember very early on Hugh telling me, ‘You’ve got to take this to Milwaukee. You’ve got to make sure you have a screening or a premiere in Milwaukee,'” Brewer said. “It’s a Milwaukee story. What I like most about it is that it’s also a Milwaukee story that people don’t even know about.”
Jackman wanted “this to be kind of a legendary thing, like something that’s lore of Milwaukee, that Lightning & Thunder started here.”
“Song Sung Blue,” based on the 2008 documentary of the same name, opens Dec. 25 in theaters and had its premiere in Hollywood in October.
Contributing: Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
