We have our first look at Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen in the upcoming musical biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere which has officially begun filming in the Boss’s hometown of New Jersey and New York.
Though the actor looks perfectly acceptable in a non-caricatured version of the rock legend, some people aren’t too pleased about how much he looks like himself. “Bro’s just in a flannel and jacket??,” says one X user, while another thinks the actor, famous for his Emmy-winning performance in FX’s The Bear, looks too much like his character, Carmy.
“They didn’t even try,” a third person commented. “First look at jeremy allen white as jeremy allen white,” another agreed. The latter is so close to the point… yet so far.
You see, we suspect the overuse of silly-looking prosthetics and wigs in movies of this kind has thwarted people’s ideas of what playing a real-life person should look like. The best biopics are never the ones where the actor looks the most like the icon they’re emulating, but rather where they’re successful at channeling a specific aura, charisma, or talent that defined that person publicly and privately. If Jeremy Allen White looks too much like himself while playing Springsteen, maybe that explains why he was the perfect choice for the role.
For starters, Springsteen’s all-American look isn’t exactly idiosyncratic. In the decades since the “Born to Run” singer shot to fame in the ’70s, many have dressed in the same flannel shirt, rugged blue jeans, and worn leather jacket combo. Including Allen White. The two also happen to have the same unruly flocks of curly hair, though Springsteen’s are darker than those of the man who has been tasked with re-interpreting his life.
Fake teeth or fake noses are not a prerequisite for a great biopic. Often, they’re quite the opposite, since their unnatural, exaggerated visuals can easily become distracting. Worry not, we’re sure Allen White will wear a red bandana at some point during the film, but, be honest, would Springsteen wear one if he was just out in town, walking somewhere? Besides, the musician himself agrees with this take.
“This is not easy to do because you can’t do an imitation, you have to do a personal interpretation,” Springsteen reflected in an appearance on The Graham Norton Show during which he spoke about the upcoming film. “It’s difficult but he is a great actor and sings pretty good,” he continued, adding that he’s “a little” involved in the production and that he finds the cast “lovely.”
Deliver Me From Nowhere was written and is being directed by Crazy Heart‘s Scott Cooper. It will focus specifically on the making of Springsteen’s Nebraska album in 1982, based on Warren Zanes’ book of the same title published last year. In a press release, Cooper vouched to honor the essence and spirit of both the album and the book in his film. “Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska has profoundly shaped my artistic vision. The album’s raw, unvarnished portrayal of life’s trials and resilience resonates deeply with me,” he explained.
Joining Allen White in the cast are Succession‘s Jeremy Strong as Springsteen’s long-time mentor and manager, Jon Landau, Black Bird‘s Paul Walter Hauser as guitar tech Mike Batlan, The Staircase‘s Odessa Young as young Faye, a formative love interest in Springsteen’s life, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales‘s Stephen Graham as Springsteen’s father, and Jersey Boys‘ Johnny Cannizzaro as The E Street Band member Stevie Van Zandt. The film does not yet have a release date.
