Hugh Jackman had sleepover at Neil Diamondâs house after singer called him crying about Song Sung Blue!
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/Neil-Diamond-Hugh-Jackman-010126-1460485882244e1abc45d49557b5e0c9.jpg)
Hugh Jackman will always remember the night that he sang karaoke with Neil Diamond.
The Song Sung Blue star revealed on a recent episode of The Graham Norton Show that the encounter happened after the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer had an emotional response to watching Jackmanâs new movie about a Diamond tribute band, Lightning & Thunder.
âHe rang me after seeing the movie with his wife, Katie, and he was crying,â Jackman said. âHe was so moved by it. He loved it. And he just loved the story of Mike and Claire.â
The film, which costars Kate Hudson and is directed by Craig Brewer, is based on the story of Claire âThunderâ and the late Mike âLightningâ Sardina.
When Jackman received the call from Diamond, he was excited.
âSo I took the opportunity. I said, âGuys, Iâd love to come around and have a cuppa or something,’â Jackman said, using a term for a cup of tea or coffee. âAnd Neilâs like, âOkay, yeah, all right.â And then I didnât hear from Neil anymore. And Katie obviously takes the phone and goes, âYou know weâre in Colorado?â I went, âOkay, Iâd still like to come for a cuppa,â and she was like, âSo I guess you want to stay the night?â Iâm like, âThatâd be great.â And sheâs like, âOkay.’â
Jackman ended up visiting the couple.
âNeil came out and he came up to me. And he grabbed me, and he goes, âYou did good, kid,’â Jackman said. âBut he was emotional about it. And so I stayed the night, and, at dinner time, Neil Diamond â Neil Diamond â goes, âYou want to do some karaoke?â Iâm like, âHell, yeah.â We did karaoke.â
Jackman was elated that Diamond wanted to sing âI Dreamed a Dream,â the song Jackman sang in the 2012 Oscar-winning musical Les MisĂ©rables, in which he played Jean Valjean. They also did âCanât Help Falling in Loveâ and, of course, Diamondâs own âSweet Caroline.â
While the Diamonds were fans of the movie, Sardinaâs son, Michael Jr., has slammed it.
âMy fatherâs rolling in his grave right now,â Michael Jr., told The Daily Mail this week. He argued that the film âcompletely destroyed the one thing my father worked his entire life to pass on â his legacy. I want the true story out there and I want it used with truth, with dignity, and I want retribution.â
He expressed frustration over the way itâs being perceived.
âEverybody thinks itâs such a wonderful film, itâs so touching. Itâs all lies,â he said. âAnd it steals all the hard work that my father put in his entire life.â
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/Song-Sung-Blue-Hugh-Jackman-2-010126-52c46715b7a444b8a04135a67024d4ac.jpg)
For Michael Jr., the stars of the movie were to blame.
âEvery interview that those monsters have been on national television donât even mention my existence at all, even though I was the most prevalent force in my fatherâs life, even when I wasnât in Wisconsin, because Iâm his only son,â he said. âThey didnât even try to contact me⊠They didnât try to get more information⊠They could have very easily asked Craig [Brewer].â
His sister Angelina called the movie âupsettingâ and âa lie.â
However, Claire Sardina has been supportive, according to PEOPLE.
Song Sung Blue is in theaters now.

