Last week, Kate Hudson was nominated for best actress for her performance in “Song Sung Blue.” It was one of the biggest Oscar surprises.
Hudson plays Claire Sardina, a Milwaukee-based singer who performed for years with her late husband Mike Sardina in a beloved Neil Diamond tribute act called “Lightning and Thunder” (he was Lightning, she Thunder). Lightning and Thunder were cult figures in Wisconsin, with a live act that pulsated with their love for Neil Diamond, for showbiz and — most palpably onstage — for each other.
“Song Sung Blue” was adapted from a documentary of the same name that covers the couple’s unexpected triumphs, the accident that led to the 64-year-old’s leg amputation, her subsequent struggles with pain medication and mental health, the financial struggles that she and her family endured between gigs, and Lightning and Thunder’s ultimate return to the stage before Mike’s unexpected death at the age of 55.
We spoke with Claire Sardina — the real-life Thunder — from Arizona, where she spends her winters.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Were there things in particular Kate Hudson got right about you?
One word: everything. There were times when my mouth actually dropped. The first time I saw the movie with my children at a private screening — once it was completed I turned to each one of them and I said, “Kate’s gonna win.”
Okay, I’m going to go to Polymarket now. How would you rank, in order of excitement: playing with Eddie Vedder, meeting Neil Diamond, having Hugh Jackman dedicate a bench to you at Summerfest?
Oh, Lord, that is difficult. The experience with Pearl Jam in 1995 at the Marcus Amphitheater — that was the experience of a lifetime. The night at the premiere in Milwaukee with Hugh Jackman, I wanted to weep right there onstage when the bench was presented to us. And then singing with Hugh Jackman that night! And Neil Diamond was a very personable, wonderful, loving, giving person. He was like, “Let’s do this again, Claire, when I come back to Milwaukee.” That was a banner moment. There are so many that that’s a loaded, difficult question.
You’ve had these incredibly high moments, but there was also a lot of sacrifice and struggle and uncertainty. I can’t imagine what it would be like to see the worst times of my life in a movie.
During the screening with my children, we held each other’s hands and were like, “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh.” And reliving the accident through the eyes of the screen was a little bit traumatic, but also eye-opening.
Did you talk to a therapist afterward?
I definitely talked to a therapist and I continue to talk to a therapist today. This May 10 of 2026, it will be 27 years that I am an amputee. It’s a way of life: I put on my leg in the morning and I start my day. At night I say, “Cinderella must take off her glass slipper.” It’s a kind of a glamorous way of saying, “Take off the leg, make sure it’s clean and sanitary so it’s ready to be put back on the next day.”
How did you feel about the accents in the movie? I’m from the Midwest, so I get very touchy about how Minnesota and Wisconsin accents are represented.
I’m like, “What accent?” People have been making such a fuss over the accents, and I’m like, “I’m not hearing it.”
When did you first meet Kate Hudson face-to-face?
I first met her during production late November 2024. [My family is] listed as “consultants” on the movie but we did not really have to consult them. Both of them — Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman — are the most authentic, most kind, real people. They greeted us with open arms. Hugh Jackman always talks about the “Claire hair.” I color and cut my own hair. And I styled it for the New York premiere.
And where did you find your outfit?
I want to say a fancy boutique. But I will say: the wonderful boutique of Kohl’s department store.
I hope it was purchased with Kohl’s Cash.
Yes, I believe I might have had some Kohl’s Cash to utilize. And I believe it was on sale. Being that it was Christmastime there were a lot of fancy sequined things.
I’m asking this both professionally and personally: Where are the best places to get sequined outfits like the ones you wear?
Sometimes the best pieces are hidden in thrift stores and Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul. I have a pair of shoes that I wore to the New York premiere that I paid $2 for. And they were blue sequined shoes with a split toe, by the way. Now, how do you do that when one of your toes doesn’t split?
What did you do?
You make it work.
What would you say to someone who is sort of in a similar place that you were, who wants to follow a dream, but has people in their life saying, “Don’t do it.”
Life is too short. Go for the gusto. And if there are things holding you back like health, well, then it’s all up here [points to her head]. You have to say to yourself, “I can overcome. I will do this. I’m a survivor.”
What are you doing the rest of the day?
We have a meeting with Robert Neary of “So Good: The Neil Diamond Experience.” I’ve done two guest appearances with him and have one coming up Aug. 9 at the Wisconsin State Fair. Future gigs are popping up everywhere with Toney. Toney Luciano and I have known each other for years and he resides with me in Arizona. I call Toney my “Claire-giver.” He’s also my musical partner. We are a duo called “Thunder After Lightning.”
What’s different about “Thunder After Lightning” compared to “Lightning and Thunder?”
Toney and I do not play musical instruments at this time. I play the tambourine and we work with the music tracks. You can say the word “karaoke,” but we say “track artistry” because it’s more professional. The common question is: What would Lightning be thinking about all of this? I am telling you: From up above, he’s directing traffic. He is my motivator and he is my guiding light. I look up to him when I feel insecure. He was my mentor, he was my teacher. So I know that he is listening. And I know that this would have been a dream come true for him. And he wants it for me.
This article was adapted from Seriously? — a new, free newsletter from The Washington Post that hits your inbox every Monday, every Thursday and every time a cultural moment warrants it. We’ll bring you red-carpet roundups, trend explainers and pop culture dissections. Sign up here.
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