NEW YORK (AP) — Jeremy Allen White grew up listening to Bruce Springsteen. He doesn’t even remember a time in his life when he wasn’t aware of his music. But sing his songs? It wasn’t until White began preparing to play the rock ’n' roll legend for “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” that he even tried.
“I had never really sang anything, never mind Bruce,” White says. “There was a leap of faith that we were all taking.”
There’s an established playbook for music biopics. “Deliver Me From Nowhere”
ignored all of it. The film, written and directed by Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart,” “Black Mass”), eschews the standard life-spanning, play-the-hits approach and instead focuses on a small portion of Springsteen’s sprawling life: the making of his 1982 album, “Nebraska.”
The album, a minimalist masterpiece recorded on a four track in Springsteen’s bedroom in Colts Neck, New Jersey, doesn’t lend itself to anything like a glossy big-screen jukebox. “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” instead, is aimed more at the soul of Springsteen. For the role, Cooper turned to who he considers one of the best actors of his generation — even though he had no singing experience.
“I remember early on speaking to Scott about the project and being really excited to do it with him but also telling him, ‘Hey, I don’t know how to play the guitar and I’ve never really sang before. Are we going to be able to figure out this together?’” White recalls. “But Scott had faith. And Bruce had faith. And we trusted each other.”
“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” which 20th Century Studios will release Oct. 24 in theaters, is the first movie based on Springsteen’s life. It was made with Springsteen’s involvement; he gave input to on the script, on casting and attended several days on set. It’s also the first leading movie role for White, the 34-year-old Emmy-winning star of “The Bear,” who sings all the songs in the film.
“I knew that he had the two qualities that really embody Bruce: humility and swagger,” Scott says. “And they don’t teach swagger at Julliard. You either have it or you don’t. I was never concerned. He’s sensational.”
“Deliver Me From Nowhere,” based on Warren Zanes’ 2023 book, co-stars Jeremy Strong as Jon Landau, Springsteen’s longtime manager and record producer. Landau was also involved in the project from its inception.
“I knew that this was the first time Bruce had handed the wheel over to anybody to tell a story of his,” Cooper says. “They were never directors in any way but were always there when I had a question. Of course, when you’re Jeremy Allen White and you have Bruce Springsteen show up, that’s a whole different story.”
For White, Springsteen was a great resource in a movie that aspired to authentic interiority. “Nebraska” was a major departure for Springsteen. Its 10 songs spun tales of blue-collar workers soaked through with Springsteen’s own childhood memories and reverberating with an American storytelling tradition running from Flannery O’Connor to Woody Guthrie. Springsteen intended the raw demos to be later recorded with the E Street Band, but ultimately decided to release the unvarnished recordings.
White sees the film, in part, as about the artistic process.
“He was drawing inspiration from all these places but he didn’t really know what he was doing for a while with this record,” White says. “He didn’t know if it was going to be a record. As an actor, hopefully you’re doing that sort of thing all the time. That artistic curiosity is something I related to.”
White first spent time with Springsteen in London, where he also attended a concert. The actor later spoke to Patti Scialfa, Springsteen's bandmate and wife of 34 years, and friends of the rock legend. After peppering Springsteen with questions during preproduction in New Jersey, White says he mostly kept his head down during the shoot.
“Bruce is very gracious,” White says. “He was trying to make himself as small as possible on set, but that’s very difficult for Bruce Springsteen.”
The challenge musically was considerable. To prepare, White worked with vocal coach Eric Vetro (who a also trained Timothée Chalamet for “A Complete Unknown” ), guitar instructor J.D. Simo and music supervisor Dave Cobb. For White, a turning point came when they went to RCA in Nashville to record most of the songs over a 48-hour period.
“I feel like that’s where I found my confidence,” White says. “I’m in this recording studio. It’s a very large room, you’re kind of by yourself. And I got to sing Bruce’s songs over and over again. I remember feeling closer and closer to the man.”
Though “Atlantic City” was initially the song White gravitated toward, the one that ended up striking a chord was “My Father’s House,” one of Springsteen’s most stirring and plaintive ballads.
“I remember each time singing that song and understanding it more thoroughly,” says White. “Learning something new each time, just going deeper each time.”
“Deliver Me From Nowhere” will arrive at a time when Springsteen has ratcheted up his criticism of President Donald Trump. At a concert in May, Springsteen told the audience: “The America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.” Trump responded by calling Springsteen “not a talented guy — just a pushy, obnoxious jerk.”
Cooper and White have a much different impression from their time with Springsteen.
“I don’t know if a lot of people with his level of success and notoriety and fame, a public person decade after decade, can remain so in touch and available and honest with people day after day,” White says. “What was important to him remains his art, yes, but it’s his family and Patti. All of his morals are right in line — what I consider to be right in line.”
Says Cooper: “Bruce isn’t just a musician. He’s the symbol of something that’s uniquely American. The blue-collar poet. The reluctant moral conscience. I think to make a film about Bruce is to make a film about America’s soul. The power of that lies in his emotional honesty and his work resonates across all political lines because he tells the truth.”
Cooper wasn’t just speaking theoretically. Making “Deliver Me From Nowhere” coincided with multiple tragedies for the director. His father died the day before shooting began. During the last week of production, he lost his house in the Palisades fire in Los Angeles.
“Jeremy and Bruce and a really wonderful crew and cast of actors lifted me up and carried me through to the finish line,” Cooper says. “When we didn’t have a place to live, Bruce moved my family into his place in Los Angeles. And Jeremy was there on some of my darkest days. The movie, for me, has a particular resonance.”
