Jeremy Allen White is revealing the Bruce Springsteen song that helped during production of Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.
The actor, who starred as Springsteen in the film, pointed to The Boss’ 1982 track, “Mansion on the Hill,” in an interview with People.
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“That made me feel very close to what the core of the film was about,” he explained, “so if I was feeling lost or unsure, I would return to that song.”
That particular song is one of many tracks that White covered while portraying Springsteen in the film, which chronicles the making of the singer’s 1982 album, Nebraska.
In addition to listening to and connecting with Springsteen’s music for the role, White studied videos of him in interviews and on stage.
“There was a particular sort of seven-minute video, an interview that I would watch almost every morning,” White said. “But I think it was really just the way that he held his guitar.”
“I watched a lot of footage of him recording the way he laid his head down, lifts on the harmonica,” he added. “That was all stuff I was really focused on, and if I was feeling lost, I would rely on those things.”
Bruce Springsteen Praises Jeremy Allen White’s Performance
All those methods wound up working for Allen, who earned praise from The Boss himself for his portrayal. Speaking on SiriusXM’s E Street Radio channel, Springsteen admitted that it was initially “a little bit” weird to watch someone playing him.
“But you get over that pretty quick. Jeremy is such a terrific actor that you just fall right into it,” he said. “He’s got an interpretation of me that I think the fans will deeply recognize and he’s just done a great job, so I’ve had a lot of fun. I’ve had a lot of fun being on the set when I can get there.”
As for Allen’s vocal performance, Springsteen only had kind words about that too.
“He sings well,” Springsteen said. “He sings very well.”
The cast of the film also includes Jeremy Strong and Odessa Young, both of whom did The Boss proud as his longtime manager, Jon Landau, and his one-time love interest, Faye.
“[I]t’s a tremendous cast of people,” Springsteen said. “They cast the film beautifully, so it’s very exciting.”
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