The Bear actor Jeremy Allen White talked about his preparation work for Bruce Springsteen’s biopic. White will portray Springsteen in the 20th Century and Disney’s Deliver Me From Nowhere. The movie’s filming began early this spring, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I’m really lucky that there’s sort of a team of folks now in place to help young actors portray rock stars,” White told GQ. “I’ve got a really talented group of people helping me train vocally, musically, to get ready for this thing.”
In recent years, Austin Butler played Elvis in Elvis; Rami Malek played Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody; Naomi Ackie played Whitney Houston in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody; and Kingsley Ben-Adir portrayed Bob Marley in Bob Marley: One Love. Still to come, Timothee Chalamet will play Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, while Jafaar Jackson will play his uncle Michael Jackson in Michael. White has recently joined the ensemble for Deliver Me From Nowhere.
The actor said that real-life Springsteen is “really supportive of the project,” meaning “I’ve had some access to him and he’s just the greatest guy.”
“Deliver Me From Nowhere explores the making of Springsteen’s 1982 album Nebraska, which followed the singer-songwriter’s huge The River album. The album has the trademark blue-collar vibe of many other Springsteen albums, but was also full of bleak and hopeless themes, accompanied by a sparse instrument. Scott Cooper will direct the film and said in April that the record “had a profound impact on me and my work,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Aside from that, there are a few more ways to research. “There’s just so much footage,” White said. “It’s really great to go down a YouTube rabbit hole and find him at all these different periods in his life and be able to listen to his speaking voice as well as his singing voice. That’s kind of been the deal, just listening to him a lot and watching him a lot. It’s been really fun preparing.”
“Through themes of despair, disillusionment, and the struggles of everyday Americans, Bruce has formed an unparalleled legacy, painting an unflinching portrait of the human condition,” Cooper said. “Yet, amidst the darkness, a sense of resilience and a sense of hope shines through, reflecting an indomitable spirit. That’s the Bruce I’ve come to know and love and will honour with this film.” The movie doesn’t yet have a release date, said The Hollywood Reporter.