Each role of Jeremy Allen White’s has required him to embrace character-building challenges head-on. From the “gross” struggles of bulking up for The Iron Claw to delving into Carmy’s “challenging” mentality for Season 3 of The Bear, White has shown a fearless dedication to his characters. When it came to depicting Bruce Springsteen for his upcoming music biopic, Deliver Me From Nowhere, the Emmy winner got real about diving into the role and actually asking The Boss for “a little bit of space” while he played him.
The moment that Jeremy Allen White was lined up to play Bruce Springsteen, I had a feeling the Shameless alum would bring his A-game. Austin Butler, who gave a praiseworthy early reaction to White’s Deliver Me From Nowhere performance, interviewed the actor for Interview Magazine about what he went through to fully embody the “Born in the USA” singer. White’s candid answer involved asking Springsteen himself for “a little bit of space” during filming. He explained:
That first week was particularly jittery for me, but Scott was such a sweetheart. He made it little bits and pieces. There was no heavy stuff. In some movies, the first day is screaming at your wife or breaking down and crying alone in a room. I didn’t have any of that, and I think it was by design. But Bruce was around, and I talked to him at the end of the week. I was like, ‘If I could just have a little bit of space to try and find my footing.’
I can imagine what a relief it must have been for The Bear star to not have to jump straight into shooting any intense scenes. After all, sometimes you want to dip your feet in the water before you start swimming. However, seeing as Bruce Springsteen was actively on set for the 2025 movie release, it’s understandable why White asked for space to explore the character on his own.
Embodying a living, real-life figure who can watch your performance must come with a lot of pressure. It’s only natural to want some breathing room. Fortunately, The Boss understood that, and graciously gave White the space he needed (kind of), as the Deliver Me From Nowhere star joked:
He was like, ‘I totally understand. Not a problem.’ I think he was gone for two days, and then he came back and he was like, ‘How was that space?’
Bruce Springsteen’s respectful approach to White’s request for space is something to be admired. You could tell the E Street Band member knew where the actor was coming from, as Springsteen said he would choose to stay at home for the actors to “feel completely free” during scenes personal to him. It shows the best-selling artist trusted White to do his thing.
When Bruce Springsteen was around on set, Jeremy Allen White made sure to tell Austin Butler what an excellent source of support he was. He said the “Thunder Road” singer would always make himself available if he needed help or encouraging direction. Springsteen would even send the talented actor texts before bed about the parts of his performance that stood out to him, which White said helped him sleep at night. That’s a positive influence that can make taking on any challenging role seamless.
With all of the intense work that Jeremy Allen White went through to nail Bruce Springsteen’s voice and mannerisms, it’s clear that asking the “Born to Run” singer for “a little bit of space” was necessary to bring out a convincing portrayal of the award-winning musician. As Springsteen said that White did “a great job” with his “interpretation” of him, it proves that an actor needs to do what he’s gotta do.
You can see the Bruce Springsteen biopic, Deliver Me From Nowhere, in theaters on October 24th.