Kate Hudson is back in the thick of awards-season talk, a full 25 years after her Oscar-nominated breakout as Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous. This time, the attention is centered on Song Sung Blue, a Craig Brewer film that pairs Hudson with Hugh Jackman in a music-forward true-story drama.
The role driving the renewed Oscar buzz
In Song Sung Blue, Hudson plays Claire Sardina, part of the real-life Neil Diamond tribute act Lightning & Thunder, alongside Jackman as the late Mike Sardina. The film tracks the couple’s relationship and the act they build together, putting Hudson in a performance that blends drama, showmanship, and character work.
The project arrived with a traditional prestige runway, including a high-profile festival launch. ABC7 reported that the movie’s world premiere was set to close AFI Fest, with AFI announcing the screening as the festival’s closing-night event.
“Only one part away” and what Hudson says has changed since 2000
Hudson has described the current moment as energizing rather than overwhelming, framing the attention around Song Sung Blue as fuel for what she wants to do next. In an interview excerpt reported by People, she put it plainly: “You’re always only one part away from the experience reinvigorating itself.”
That perspective also connects to how the industry has viewed her career arc. The Los Angeles Times noted that Hudson’s first Oscar nomination came at 21 for Almost Famous, and that Song Sung Blue has put her in position to make a case for a second nomination this season.
The 25-year Almost Famous milestone still follows her
Hudson has not been acting like Almost Famous is a relic, either. In an earlier People interview tied to the movie’s 25th anniversary, she revisited the staying power of Penny Lane’s most quoted line, “It’s all happening,” and described how it still gets shouted at her in public.
It is part of why the “return to the Oscars race” framing has traction: the industry is essentially reconnecting Hudson’s most enduring performance with a new, awards-facing turn.
Awards recognition beyond the Oscar conversation
Even before any Academy nominations, Hudson has been collecting meaningful signals from within the industry. The Playlist highlighted that her recognition for Song Sung Blue marked her first individual Actors Award nomination in 25 years, dating back to Almost Famous, underscoring the narrative of a long gap between peer-driven accolades.
A note of controversy around the film
The film’s rollout has not been entirely smooth. Both People and Entertainment Weekly reported on criticism from Michael Sardina Jr., who said the film’s story is inaccurate and objected to his omission from the narrative.
Hudson, asked about it, declined to engage on specifics and said she was not the right person to address it, while emphasizing that she got to know Claire Sardina and that Claire is happy with the movie.
What this moment means
The cleanest way to write this, like a real outlet would: Hudson has a new performance in Song Sung Blue that has put her back in serious awards-season conversation, she is publicly framing the moment as career-renewing rather than career-defining, and she is doing it while still tethered to the legacy of Almost Famous, which turns 25 this year.
