NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — We love to see local kids do big things. One 13-year-old has certainly done that. Right now, he can be seen on the big screen. It's a film making people laugh, cry, and sing.
"Hi! You're so loving!" said 13-year-old Hudson Hensley, petting a cat at Nashville Humane Association.
"They're like human beings," he said. "You just get to develop such a close bond with that animal. I walk the dogs. I play with the dogs. I clean the laundry, just do chores around here."
Hudson's a local kid who loves animals and likes to help out around Nashville Humane Association. Let me tell you something else about Hudson. He's a star in a big movie in theaters right now, one with Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman. It's called Song Sung Blue.
"I would be Hugh Jackman's stepson!" Hudson said, remembering hearing about the film. "I'm like, 'what?! If I get this, I'm going to be in a movie with THE Hugh Jackman? I gotta get this movie."
The film Song Sung Blue is about the real life couple Mike and Claire Sardina who performed as Lightning and Thunder, a Neil Diamond tribute act.
Hudson has long known he wanted to do movies.
"When I was five-years-old, I saw the first Mission Impossible with Tom Cruise," he said. "I ran to my parents' room. You know what I told 'em? This is what I wanna do."
When the Song Sung Blue project came up, Hudson sent in a video and followed up with other parts of the audition process.
"They called my mom up and they said, 'hey. We're gonna need you in New Jersey in a week,'" Hudson remembered. "What?! They flew me first class to New Jersey, and I was there for three months. I was like, 'this is actually happening.'"
"Was it everything you were hoping it to be?" I asked Hudson.
"Everything I was hoping for and so much more," he answered. "They were really so kind to me."
In the process, Hudson met the person he was playing; Claire Sardina's son, Dayna Cartwright.
"I asked him, 'was there anything that you thought I could have done differently?'" Hudson said. "He said, 'no. You did it absolutely perfect.' That was a really special moment that I shared with him."
Because of this film, more people will know about Mike and Claire Sardina. Hudson thinks that's pretty great.
"I literally cried about five times when I first saw the movie," he said. "I might be a little biased, but I loved it."
Today, Hudson's back to his dog walking business and helping at Nashville Humane Association.
"I have about eight dogs that I walk right now," he said.
Hudson wants to keep making movies. He said it would be great if he could use this platform in some way to help animals.
"If I can inspire anyone to adopt a cat, adopt a dog, that just means the world to me," Hudson said.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
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- Carrie Sharp
