Jeremy Allen White on channeling the Boss in 'Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere'
'Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere' is in theaters nationwide Friday, October 24.
ASBURY PARK, N.J. -- Bruce Springsteen is an international icon, but at the core, he's just a Jersey guy living the dream.
In "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere," we get a raw and emotional look at a dark moment in the Boss' rise to becoming one of the world's biggest rock stars.
Alicia Vitarelli headed to the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey to sit down with the director and the film's star, Jeremy Allen White, and talk about the making of the very first film about Springsteen's life.
The Stone Pony has been an Asbury Park musical institution since 1974.
"This place made Bruce famous," says director Scott Cooper. "And he met his wife Patti (Scialfa) right over there."
New Jersey is the backdrop to Springsteen's life and this film.
"We shot here at The Stone Pony, on the boardwalk in Asbury, Convention Hall, recreating that carousel down the street," Cooper says. "We wanted it to feel just like Bruce's most formative years. We went to his homes. We shot it all right here."
For Jeremy Allen White, Springsteen became a confidant and an on-set coach.
"I felt so lucky," White says. "Bruce made himself so available to me. I think we could all feel very secure in the work we were doing knowing that he was a witness. I did not know how to play guitar, and I never sang outside of the shower or in the car by myself. It was a daunting task."
White trained for six months.
"Bruce listened, and he said, 'You sing well. You don't sound just like me, but you sound like me. You're making the song your own.' And that gave me such permission," says White.
Springsteen also gave White the guitar he learned to play on, and the real deal tour of his New Jersey.
"We drove around Freehold," White says. "He was on set very, very often and was a real guiding light. He's been a champion of this film and a supporter through and through."
The film centers on the making of Springsteen's "Nebraska" album in alienation, during a time of deep depression.
Jeremy Strong plays Jon Landau, Springsteen's manager and producer.
"He was also his friend, mentor, therapist, co-pilot, and in a sense, it's a love story between the two of them," Strong says. "It's not something we see in movies often, this side of a kind of relationship between men that is full of tenderness and love."
The film touches on the pain of Springsteen's childhood, including his tumultuous relationship with his father.
"This film is a gift in his healing process," says Stephen Graham, who plays Bruce's father, Douglas Springsteen. "That was a special moment to be a part of."
"To have him there on set while we're playing out his past for him, it was pretty extraordinary," says Gaby Hoffmann, who plays Bruce's mother, Adele Springsteen.
Matthew Anthony Pellicano Jr., 9, plays a young Bruce.
"It feels so good," says Pellicano, Jr. "It's amazing to play. It's an honor."
Odessa Young plays Springsteen's love interest, Faye.
"I think it's a really, really beautiful portrait of an artist who is going through one of the hardest things that anyone can go through," Young says.
"Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere" is in theaters October 24th.
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