Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman Share Insights from Their Friendship at the 2025 Gotham Awards Musical Tribute Ceremony

Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman.
Credit :

Dia Dipasupil/WireImage

NEED TO KNOW

• Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman accepted the 2025 Gotham Awards’ inaugural Gotham Musical Tribute for their new movie Song Sung Blue.
• During the event, the two actors discussed key takeaways from their collaboration on the film.
• Song Sung Blue is set to hit theaters on December 25.

Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman are marking the beginning of their awards season with an accolade for their upcoming film, Song Sung Blue.

Hudson, 46, and Jackman, 56, joined forces at the 2025 Gotham Awards in New York City on December 1. There, they were honored with the inaugural Gotham Musical Tribute, recognizing their performances in the film about a couple, Mike and Claire Sardina, who created the acclaimed Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder in the 1980s.

On the red carpet, the actors shared insights exclusively with PEOPLE about what they learned from each other during production.

“Hugh, his superpower is to connect,” Hudson revealed. “Whether it’s on stage, whether it’s on set, whether it’s with anyone and everyone — he just wants to connect and he wants to make sure that everyone’s happy. I learned that one of the great gifts you can give people is that you actually have a desire to connect to them.”

Turning to Jackman, she added, “I think you give that to everybody — even though I’m sure it takes a lot from you. You’re like a masseuse who’s constantly giving energy to other people, and needs energy for you.”

Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman on November 17.

Kate Hudson/Instagram

Jackman, in turn, praised Hudson, stating, “I learned a lot from Kate. I learned about acting on film, actually. I’ve done almost 50 films, but, somehow, working with Kate — it’s a very difficult thing to describe but the mixture of being prepared and just being instinctive is a really fine line, and no one does it better than Kate Hudson.”

He continued, “Being with her, I learned and I think I became a better actor. There were two key moments where she stood up for the film, which was inconvenient for timing and everyone, but both of those moments are now pivotal in the movie. It’s about choosing your battles and knowing when to say, ‘No, I disagree.’ I learned that from Kate because she’s the sweetest, nicest, kindest, always great. So when Kate Hudson says, ‘I think this is a mistake, I think we should go left and not right,’ everyone stops and listens.”

As the awards season gains momentum, Hudson has begun to attract Oscar buzz for her role in the musical film. “You never know with these things,” she said. “I’ve been around long enough to know just to enjoy that people are really loving the movie,” she added with a laugh, “and just, you know, show up to where they tell me to go.”

In a press release dated November 4, the Gotham Film & Media Institute announced that the tribute “will honor Hudson and Jackman for their outstanding musical performances that capture the heart and soul of Neil Diamond’s timeless music on the big screen.”

Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson in ‘Song Sung Blue’.

Sarah Shatz/Focus Features

The film also features notable talents such as Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, and musician King Princess in her big screen debut, along with Mustafa Shakir, Hudson Hensley, Fisher Stevens, and Jim Belushi.

Song Sung Blue will be released in theaters on December 25.