Jeremy Allen White Experienced Intense Pressure Portraying Bruce Springsteen

Jeremy Allen White revealed the immense pressure he faced while preparing to embody Bruce Springsteen in the biographical film Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, which premiered on October 24.

Speaking exclusively at the 2025 Gotham Awards held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on December 1, White described the experience as overwhelming. It was a tremendous amount of pressure. Bruce texted me almost every night and was frequently on set, he said. The 34-year-old actor admitted that without Springsteens encouragement, he might have been crying a lot more than he already did.

The biopic explores Springsteens rise to fame, his struggles with success, and the challenges he faced in the early 1980s, just as he was becoming a superstar.

Director and writer Scott Cooper praised the 76-year-old music icon, calling the project a long-awaited personal milestone. Cooper noted that releasing the film at this moment was important, given a world filled with noise and confusion and anger and hate. He described Springsteen as a cultural icon and morally sound, adding, I personally think Bruce Springsteen represents the best of us.

Both White and Cooper were honored with the Cultural Icon Tribute Award at the Gotham Awards. In his acceptance speech, White expressed gratitude for Springsteens trust, saying, Were very grateful that Bruce allowed us into [his] space and to tell a story he had never told himself and never mythologized. Struggling to pronounce mythologized, he joked, Sorry folks, Im very tired.

White had previously shared with PEOPLE magazine the challenges of preparing to portray Springsteen. He explained, Bruce had years of performing in small rooms and testing his voice. I didnt have that time, so I had to push my voice hard. Recording Born in the U.S.A. actually left me voiceless for a couple of days.

Author: Benjamin Carter