Rebecca Ferguson Finally Gets to Show off Her Singing Voice in ‘Reminiscence’
Published Aug. 21 2021, 12:26 p.m. ET
The Greatest Showman costars Rebecca Ferguson and Hugh Jackman are reuniting in the new movie Reminiscence, only this time, it’s Rebecca who’s doing the singing!
In the neo-noir Warner Bros. film, Hugh plays Nick Bannister, a private investigator of the mind, who helps clients relive their memories in a flooded, futuristic Miami. And Rebecca plays Mae, a mysterious client with connections to Nick’s past.
And yes, Rebecca sings in Reminiscence. She even has three songs on the film’s soundtrack: “I Walk a Little Faster,” “Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby,” and “Where or When.”
Hugh Jackman said Rebecca Ferguson is a “great” and “seductive” singer in ‘Reminiscence.’
As Hugh told CinemaBlend, he had no hesitation letting Rebecca do the singing in Reminiscence. “I was thrilled,” the actor said. “Your turn! I’ve done enough of that.”
He also lauded his costar’s vocals: “She was so good at it, too. [She’s] a great singer, but very seductive as she does it. I’m literally, in my head, just running through a really cheesy line, because one film with Rebecca is never enough. … It’s true. She is wickedly brilliant.”
Lisa Joy, the Westworld co-creator who wrote and directed Reminiscence, echoed Hugh’s praise: “Rebecca’s voice is so beautiful and expressive,” Lisa told The Hollywood Reporter. “That’s why I wanted her to be the singer because it’s performance, not just singing.”
Rebecca lip-synched her song in ‘The Greatest Showman.’
After seeing Rebecca play real-life opera singer Jenny Lind in the 2017 musical The Greatest Showman, fans might have been surprised that the Swedish actress wasn’t credited on the soundtrack for her character’s big number, “Never Enough.”
“I shouldn’t be because I didn’t sing it,” Rebecca told Collider in 2017. “No, it’s Loren [Allred], and she is the most incredible singer. I am an actress, and that is what I try to do, at least.”
Rebecca did learn “Never Enough,” spending one month in vocal training, but she opted against performing the song in the movie. “I can sing, I can definitely sing, but I cannot sing,” she explained. “Because then, I would be here as Rebecca Ferguson, the Liverpudlian singer who won X Factor, which I am not.
She went on: “There is a difference between being able to sing a tune and hold it and do a fairly good job. It is also another thing playing the world’s best opera player. Now if I would f—k that up, I would be quite embarrassed. So I thought, Loren, you just go for it, girl.”
For her part, Loren reciprocated the praise. “No one could have played that role as well as Rebecca did. She nailed it, and she has been so gracious and vocal about praising my work,” the former Voice contestant told Deseret News in 2018. “I’m really happy that the show decided to put the music first. It mattered to the director that the song was executed well instead of hoping it could ride on star power.”
Reminiscence is currently playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.