Hugh Jackman/Instagram
Hugh Jackmanwill always remember the night that he sang karaoke with Neil Diamond.
TheSong Sung Bluestar revealed on a recent episode ofThe Graham Norton Showthat the encounter happened after the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer had an emotional response to watching Jackman's new movie about a Diamond tribute band, Lightning & Thunder.
"He rang me after seeing the movie with his wife, Katie, and he was crying," Jackman said. "He was so moved by it. He loved it. And he just loved the story of Mike and Claire."
The film, which costars Kate Hudson and is directed by Craig Brewer, is based on the story of Claire "Thunder" and the late Mike "Lightning" Sardina.
When Jackman received the call from Diamond, he was excited.
"So I took the opportunity. I said, 'Guys, I'd love to come around and have a cuppa or something,'" Jackman said, using a term for a cup of tea or coffee. "And Neil's like, 'Okay, yeah, all right.' And then I didn't hear from Neil anymore. And Katie obviously takes the phone and goes, 'You know we're in Colorado?' I went, 'Okay, I'd still like to come for a cuppa,' and she was like, 'So I guess you want to stay the night?' I'm like, 'That'd be great.' And she's like, 'Okay.'"
Jackman ended up visiting the couple.
"Neil came out and he came up to me. And he grabbed me, and he goes, 'You did good, kid,'" Jackman said. "But he was emotional about it. And so I stayed the night, and, at dinner time, Neil Diamond —Neil Diamond— goes, 'You want to do some karaoke?' I'm like, 'Hell, yeah.' We did karaoke."
Jackman was elated that Diamond wanted to sing "I Dreamed a Dream," the song Jackman sang in the 2012 Oscar-winning musicalLes Misérables, in which he played Jean Valjean. They also did "Can't Help Falling in Love" and, of course, Diamond's own "Sweet Caroline."
Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.While the Diamonds were fans of the movie, Sardina's son, Michael Jr., has slammed it.
"My father's rolling in his grave right now," Michael Jr., toldThe Daily Mailthis week. He argued that the film "completely destroyed the one thing my father worked his entire life to pass on — his legacy. I want the true story out there and I want it used with truth, with dignity, and I want retribution."
He expressed frustration over the way it's being perceived.
"Everybody thinks it's such a wonderful film, it's so touching. It's all lies," he said. "And it steals all the hard work that my father put in his entire life."
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For Michael Jr., the stars of the movie were to blame.
"Every interview that those monsters have been on national television don't even mention my existence at all, even though I was the most prevalent force in my father's life, even when I wasn't in Wisconsin, because I'm his only son," he said. "They didn't even try to contact me... They didn't try to get more information... They could have very easily asked Craig [Brewer]."His sister Angelina called the movie "upsetting" and "a lie."
However, Claire Sardina has been supportive, according toPEOPLE.
Song Sung Blueis in theaters now.
Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
