Hugh Jackman stars in the upcoming musical docudrama Song Sung Blue, directed by Craig Brewer, which will be released later this month on December 25. Recently, he sat down with Cynthia Erivo for their Actors on Actors conversation, discussing their past projects, upcoming films, and their acting journeys. During the in-depth conversation, Jackman spoke about his experience playing Mike Sardina in the aforementioned film and what he learned during the process.
Hugh Jackman says playing Mike Sardina in Song Sung Blue reminded him to trust his gut
When Hugh Jackman and Cynthia Erivo recently sat down for Variety’s Actors on Actors conversation, the Wicked: For Good actress praised Jackman’s performance in his upcoming film Song Sung Blue.
The film premiered at the AFI Film Festival on October 26, 2025, and will be released in theaters on December 25, 2025. Erivo then mentioned that it was beautiful to see Jackman return to music through Mike Sardina’s character in the film.
Jackman then began to explain what it was like to play the character. “There was something about playing Mike Sardina,” he shared. “He’s a tunnel rat. Came back from Vietnam addicted. You find him 20 years sober, but life is a battle, and what’s holding it is this dream.”
He continued, “Somehow, I’ve been able to live my dream from the jump. But I always open myself up. I ask this in my dreams: ‘Let Mike teach me. We’ve come together for some reason, and we’re going to learn something from each other,’” Jackman added (via Variety).
Further speaking about what playing the character taught him, he said, “What Mike allowed me to do is to just entertain. To not be fussy about how I sounded. He didn’t even care if he sounded particularly like Neil Diamond.”
The actor continued, “He just wanted to entertain people. That is in my DNA, but it’s something I forget sometimes.” The Wolverine star also mentioned Sardina’s never-give-up attitude, saying, “He just refused to say no. This was a great reminder to me: Trust your gut, and refuse to say no.”
