Kate Hudson breaks silence on being branded a ‘monster’ by real-life son of Song Sung Blue musician
Kate Hudson has responded to claims made in an exclusive DailyMail+ interview after she and co-star Hugh Jackman were dragged into a toxic family civil war over their new movie Song Sung Blue.
In the film, the A-listers play real-life husband and wife, Mike and Claire Sardina – Milwaukee-based Neil Diamond impersonators from the 1990s who formed a band called Lightning And Thunder.
But last month, Mike’s son Michael ‘Mike’ Sardina Jr claimed to the Daily Mail that the biopic was ‘all lies’ and that he was ‘purposely cut out of the film’ after being paid to consult on it.
Michael Jr even went as far as to call both Hudson and Jackman ‘monsters’ for failing to mention his name during their promotional tour.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘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.’
You can read the full DailyMail+ exclusive interview with Michael Jr here.
Kate Hudson has responded after she and co-star Hugh Jackman were dragged into a toxic family civil war over box office blockbuster Song Sung Blue
Mike’s real-life son Michael ‘Mike’ Sardina Jr recently revealed to Daily Mail exclusively that the biopic was ‘all lies’ and that he was ‘purposely cut out of the film’ after being paid to consult on it
Now Hudson, 46, has finally broken her silence regarding the allegations.
‘Honestly, I don’t even know — out of respect for our filmmakers, I’m not the right person to speak to it,’ she told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Thursday.
Michael Jr is Mike’s son from his second marriage to Diane Annunziata.
Thus, he and his sister Angelina Sardina eventually became step-siblings to Claire’s two children from a previous relationship, Rachel and Dayna, when Claire and Mike married in 1994. It was his third marriage.
In 1999, tragedy struck when she was gardening outside and was struck by a disoriented driver, forcing her to have her leg amputated below the knee.
As a result of the lengthy recovery, Lightning and Thunder stopped performing and Mike made a living as an auto mechanic and handyman.
Mike Sardina died on July 27, 2006, aged 55, of complications from a severe brain bleed following a fall at his home in Milwaukee. He slipped into a coma before passing away at the hospital days later.
The controversy has not stopped Hudson from receiving critical praise as she earned a surprise The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA nomination for her role in the film on Wednesday.
Michael Jr even went as calling both Jackman and Hudson ‘monsters’ for failing to mention his name during their promotional tour (the two stars are seen in New York last month)
The Sardinas were Neil Diamond impersonators from the 1990s who formed a band called Lightning and Thunder (Pictured: Jackman and Hudson in the film)
The singers from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, performed at state fairs and performed with Pearl Jam. Their time on stage came to an end in 2006 when Mike died
Hudson is pictured at the Critics Choice Awards in Beverly Hills on Sunday
The controversy has not stopped Hudson from receiving critical praise as she earned a surprise The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA nomination for her role in the film
Hudson was recognized in top category Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role alongside an impressive field including: Jessie Buckley – Hamnet, Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Chase Infinity – One Battle After Another, and Emma Stone – Bugonia.
Song Sung Blue (directed and written by Craig Brewer) was released on Christmas Day and grossed an impressive $7 million in its opening weekend.
So far the biographical film has earned $26,743,920 domestically and $4,965,000 internationally with a worldwide total of $31,708,920.
The film also stars Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, Mustafa Shakir, Fisher Stevens, and Jim Belushi.
The Daily Mail reached out to Claire Sardina, Dayna and Rachel Cartwright as well as Craig Brewer, John Fox, NBCUniversal, Focus Features, Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman for comment when the original story was published.
