Jeff Goldblum is one of his generation’s most beloved actors, known for his roles in both blockbuster popcorn-movie franchises like Jurassic Park, Independence Day, and Wicked and cult classics like The Fly, Earth Girls Are Easy, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and several memorable Portlandia episodes. But he’s also an acclaimed and accomplished jazz pianist, releasing four albums with his Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, who just announced a world tour playing some of their most prestigious venues yet.
So, when Goldblum and his wife, dancer and Canadian Olympic rhythmic gymnast Emilie Livingston Goldblum, briefly joined me on the red carpet on music’s biggest night, the 2026 Grammy Awards, I had to ask how he — unlike many “moonlighting” actors who shall remain nameless — was able to make such a credible transition to the jazz world and be taken seriously as a musician.
“You’re so nice. What a lovely question. Well, in a nutshell, yeah, we’re doing OK,” Goldblum said with his usual humble charm. “We’ve got our fifth album coming out on Decca, on Verve and Fontana, June 5. It’s called Night Blooms, and we’re the most proud of it of anything we’ve done. And we’re going to around celebrating with a tour — we’re going to the Sydney Opera House and to the Royal Albert Hall, with a 50-piece orchestra. So yes, as you say, things are going swimmingly.
“And how did that happen? I don’t know. It’s just very lucky. I feel at the height of my powers in acting, but at the same time, this thing has taken off — the seeds of which were planted when I was 10 years old and started to study,” Goldblum reflected (referring to his idolized other brother Rick, who died in 1971, and who instilled in him an early love of jazz). “I started to call cocktail lounges around Pittsburgh and tried to get jobs there, just as a fun thing, as I pursued [acting]. My heart was set on the acting career, so [the music career] has kind of blossomed unexpectedly and magically.”
That was supposed to be my only question, due to Goldblum’s tight red carpet schedule (he was set to co-present the Best Contemporary Country Album award that night on air with Lainey Wilson). But when I joked about the pressure of making sure my one allowed question was a good one, he had joked, “There are no bad questions, except the ones you don’t ask.” So, I couldn’t resist slipping in a second query, about a deep cult in his filmography:
“Will there ever be an Elephant Man musical?”
“Very good question — from The Tall Guy,” he chuckled with clear amusement. The 1989 British rom-com, which marked the feature-film debut of screenwriter Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Love Actually ), starred Goldblum as a struggling American actor working who lands the title role in a Andrew Lloyd Webber-like London musical, based on The Elephant Man, called Elephant! — featuring numbers like “He’s Packing His Trunk,” “Here He Comes, Mr. Disgusting,” and the finale, “Somewhere Up in Heaven, There’s an Angel with Big Ears.”
“Well, Richard Curtis wrote that. He’s fantastic. And hey, as you know, I like the musical theater world!” laughed Goldblum, referring to his recent role as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the Grammy-winning Wicked and its sequel, Wicked: For Good. “I love David Lynch’s Elephant Man movie… who knows? Sounds good to me! If you’re involved, sign me up.”
As an editor’s note, I’ll mention that I have since learned that there was an Australia production called The Marvellous Elephant Man: The Musical, which ran in 2022-2023. But I’m sure it wasn’t nearly as entertaining as entertaining as Elephant!, because Goldblum didn’t take part. So, watch his space. And in the meantime, look out for Jeff Goldblum & the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra’s Night Blooms and tour dates later this year.
The Instagram interview video above is courtesy of the Recording Academy.
