Bruce Springsteen makes surprise appearance on New Jersey set of his biopic starring Jeremy Allen White
Production on the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere opened this week in the Garden State.
And just four days after filming, the Boss himself made a surprise appearance on set in Rockaway, New Jersey, where he was greeted by writer and director Scott Cooper.
The film is based on the book Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making Of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska (1982), written by Warren Zanes, who, together with Cooper, welcomed the legendary rocker to the set.
Springsteen, 75, looked like a man much younger than his age, wearing beige jeans with a matching jacket and brown chukka boots.
To up the cool factor even further, the New Jersey icon wore cool dark sunglasses, while his salt-and-pepper hair was styled short.
Bruce Springsteen, 75, made a surprise visit to the set of his biopic in Rockaway, New Jersey, on Friday, where he was greeted by Warren Zanes, the author of the book on which the film is based.
Writer and director Scott Cooper (center) was also there to help welcome the Boss to the set of the biopic, which stars The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White as a Nebraska-era Springsteen.
It wasn’t long before Springsteen found himself surrounded by a number of people, including British actor Stephen Graham, who plays Douglas Springsteen, Bruce’s father with whom he had a complicated relationship.
It looked like Cooper was filming a scene from Springsteen’s childhood, given the classic American cars parked on the street dating back to the 1950s, when the singer-songwriter was a child.
The film also stars Johnny Cannizzaro as E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt, while Jeremy Strong plays Jon Landau, Springsteen’s manager and producer.
The cast includes Paul Walter Hauser, Odessa Young and Harrison Gilbertson.
The film follows Springsteen on his journey to create his sixth studio album, Nebraska, which differs from his previous work in that it is largely stripped down.
He had recorded the songs solo as demos on a small four-track recorder with the intention of re-recording them with the E Street Band in the studio, but ultimately scrapped the full band recordings and decided to release the solo demos as they were. .
His previous five studio albums were an exercise in radiated energy, youth, optimism and joy, while for the most part telling stories about the common man.
But on Nebraska the songs sounded more solemn and thoughtful, and they are about ordinary, down-on-his-luck working-class characters facing challenges or turning points in their lives.
Nebraska enjoyed commercial success, reaching number three in both the US and UK, but the stark departure from previous albums initially resulted in slower sales and less praise from critics.
Springsteen opted not to tour in support of the album, making it his first major release not supported by a major tour.
It would take decades for Nebraska to gain widespread acclaim, but over the years it has become one of the most critically acclaimed albums of Springsteen’s career, with 21 solo and full-band albums.
At the time of recording Nebraska, it was only a few years before he enlisted the E Street Band for what would become the phenomenon Born In The USA (1984).
Springsteen’s visit to the set came just a few days after the start of production in New Jersey
British actor Stephen Graham, who plays his father in the film, talked to The Boss about it
The film follows Springsteen on his journey to create his sixth studio album, Nebraska (1982), which differs from his previous work in that it is largely stripped down.
A promotional photo showing 33-year-old White in the role of The Boss from the film was released on social media on Monday, but the image was met with a scathing response online.
Many observers noted that White looks different from Springsteen. He is seen above left in the mid-1970s, years before he took on Nebraska, while White is pictured at right in a replica of Springsteen’s recognizable newsboy cap.
Bruce Springsteen has sold over 140 million albums worldwide, making him the 27th best-selling music artist of all time as of 2024
A promotional photo was released on social media on Monday, showing 33-year-old White in the role of The Boss from the film.
The photo immediately received a scathing response online, as observers noted that White looks different from Springsteen.
Deliver Me From Nowhere will premiere in theaters in 2025 via 20th Century Studios.
Known for his descriptive lyrics and energetic concerts, sometimes lasting more than four hours, Bruce Springsteen has sold more than 140 million albums worldwide, making him the 27th best-selling music artist of all time as of 2024.