“Neil Diamond’s music would never have been the music that I would’ve done the deep dive on,” the “Almost Famous” star said.

Kate Hudson admits she’d never listened to Neil Diamond before Song Sung Blue

"Neil Diamond's music would never have been the music that I would've done the deep dive on," the "Almost Famous" star said.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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on March 5, 2026 4:03 p.m. ET

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Kate Hudson in 'Song Sung Blue'; Neil Diamond on 'The Late Late Show With James Corden'. Credit:

Sarah Shatz/Focus Features; Terence Patrick/CBS via Getty

Kate Hudson knew nothing about Neil Diamond before she earned an Oscar nom for singing his songs.

The *Almost Famous* star, who played the Diamond tribute singer Claire Sardina in *Song Sung Blue*, reflected on her lack of experience with the legendary songwriter's music in a new interview with Kelly Ripa on SiriusXM's *Let's Talk Off Camera*.

"He lives like 15 minutes from where I grew up in Colorado, and I had never met him or his family," Hudson said of the singer. "Neil Diamond wasn't my era — I was like [a] Radiohead, Tribe Called Quest '90s girl."

Hudson said that there were only a couple of occasions where she could remember hearing Diamond's work. "Neil Diamond definitely wasn't on my radar, except for when you'd go karaoke and everybody would sing 'Sweet Caroline,'" she recalled. "And then I remember watching *Pulp Fiction* and [Urge Overkill's cover of] 'Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon,' was like the best moment, right? But other than that, this movie was my discovery of Neil Diamond."

Kate Hudson in Los Angeles on March 1, 2026.

Amy Sussman/Getty

The *How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days* actress didn't realize how widespread Diamond's music was. "It's wild how many places used 'Sweet Caroline,'" she said. "The discovery of his catalog of music was really interesting, 'cause he's written so many songs. It's on another level. He's such a prolific songwriter. Whereas Neil Diamond's music would never have been the music that I would've done the deep dive on."

Hudson was happy to explore Diamond's catalog once *Song Sung Blue* came along. "To be able to do a deep dive into a genre of music that really wasn't where my life led me was so awesome," she said. "Because his lyrics are amazing, his songwriting is beautiful, and I got to discover this new artist that's an older guy."

Neil Diamond had one request after watching 'Song Sung Blue' the first time

Kate Hudson reacts to criticism from 'Song Sung Blue' musician's son

The *Fool's Gold* actress said that she wasn't the only one who became a Diamond fan after the film hit theaters. "The movie comes out, and I've got friends calling me going, 'Holy s---, Neil's catalog!'" Hudson remembered. He wrote 'Red, Red Wine.' And the song that I sing at the end of the movie ['I've Been This Way Before'] is such a beautiful song. I'd never heard that before."

*Song Sung Blue* follows the true story of Mike and Claire Sardina, a Wisconsin couple who perform as the Diamond tribute act Lightning & Thunder as they persist through repeated hardships and tragedies.

Kate Hudson in 'Song Sung Blue'.

Focus Features/YouTube

Hudson reflected on portraying Claire during a conversation with **'s *The Awardist* in January.

"One of the things about Claire that was so important for me to get right is that she fights so hard to choose to power through things. And she is a real fighter. She's incredibly resilient, but she really does struggle," the actress said. "So her whole life, she's had to fight to see the optimism. And even though we didn't really use that as a storyline, that is her constant fight. And so for me, that was so important before we go into the darker places, that she's still powering through what she's experiencing — she just can't anymore, because that's her survival nature."

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*Let's Talk Off Camera With Kelly Ripa* airs Tuesdays at 5 p.m. ET on SiriusXM's Radio Andy channel, and is available to stream wherever you get your podcasts.

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