NEED TO KNOW
Ella Anderson is officially a Diamondhead.
While speaking exclusively with PEOPLE at the Song Sung Blue premiere at AFI Fest in Los Angeles on Oct. 26, the actress, 20, revealed that she developed an even greater appreciation for Neil Diamond’s music after starring in the Craig Brewer-led film.
The drama tells the real-life story of Milwaukee-area couple Mike (Hugh Jackman) and Claire Sardina (Kate Hudson), struggling musicians who formed the Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder in the late ’80s. Anderson stars as Rachel Cartwright, Claire’s daughter from her first marriage.
She tells PEOPLE that Diamond, 84 — who is known for such hits as “Sweet Caroline,” “Heartlight,” “America” and “Cracklin’ Rosie” — had never made it on her playlist before she filmed the movie.
“But I have always loved the way that his music brings together a crowd,” she says, “and in doing the film, I discovered a lot of great songs of his — and he certainly is on my playlist now.”
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She says it’s down to how infectious his songs are and also “the way that Claire and Mike reimagined his songs that enthralled all of Milwaukee.”
Anderson also opened up to PEOPLE about preparing for her role as Rachel in the movie, which is based on the 2008 documentary of the same name by Greg Kohs.
“I personally did so much work on my end because as soon as I read the script, I just had a hunger for who this girl is, and I think I could feel that from Hugh, that he did that [too]. I could feel that from Kate — that she absolutely had been doing that for months and months leading up,” the actress recalls.
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She says Hudson, 46, was “immediately so nurturing” toward her, and the fact that the three stars were all “so committed” was “the glue that kind of brought everything together.”
During her time on the set, Anderson was “taking notes constantly” while watching Hudson and Jackman, 57, perform their craft.
“I was amazed by how much she [Hudson] just threw herself into Claire. That was spectacular. And watching Hugh on set, just the way that he operated, I was taking notes constantly. Yeah, the whole time I was just taking notes,” she says, sharing that she learned a lot about Hudson as a person.
“Kate is so … she’s just such a good time,” she raves of the Almost Famous star. “She makes you feel lit up inside every time you’re in the same room as her. I didn’t expect for her to know so much about home decor things like she did. Like, I would imagine she throws a great dinner party. She’s one of those incredible hosts. And she also just loves her kids so much. She’s amazing.”
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Hudson also chatted exclusively with PEOPLE at the Oct. 26 premiere, and she, too, shared how she never knew much about Diamond’s music but found herself “very surprised” when digging into his catalog to prepare for the movie.
“I’d never really looked at how prolific his catalog is — what a writer. I mean, when you really get into it, it’s shocking how much music he’s written, and how much music that you recognize. But there are some songs in there, [including] one I sing at the end of the movie, that are so beautiful that never really were big songs.”
Sarah Shatz/Focus Features
While working on the project, Hudson had an opportunity to get to know Diamond, an experience she called “a real dream.”
“He’s so wonderful and kind and loving,” she says. “Neil has this thing — he brings people together. It’s this kind of music. It’s so American, and then at the same time, it just makes people happy. There’s something about the songs that he writes. It makes people want to put their arms around each other and sing it.”
The Running Point star recalled Diamond telling her, “It’s like these gifts along the way in my career where something takes one of the songs that I’ve written, or songs that I’ve written, and has given it new life.”
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“I hope this movie does that,” Hudson says. “And I think people will leave it and go, ‘Oh, God, I’m going to go and rediscover Neil Diamond.’ ”
Song Sung Blue is in theaters Dec. 25.
