The first look at the upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me from Nowhere was just released, revealing how much Jeremy Allen White’s performance in the lead role resembles the actual musician. The actor, who first broke through on Shameless before becoming even better known as the lead in The Bear, is an excellent choice for the New Jersey musician. White’s resume is full of great movies, and the actor has shown great discretion in choosing his projects, which is a good testament to the likely quality of Deliver Me from Nowhere.
A biopic about Springsteen has been a long time coming, especially following the rock star’s 2016 autobiography, Born to Run. The book gave a candid look at Springsteen’s life and inspirations in the music scene, as well as his relationship with the E Street Band members, helping readers understand where Springsteen’s connections to working-class Americans and rock and roll grew out of. The film looks to mostly draw inspiration from Deliver Me from Nowhere, a Warren Zanes biography that chronicled the recording sessions for Springsteen’s Nebraska, the musician’s stripped-down follow-up to his enormous double LP, The River.
How Jeremy Allen White’s Bruce Springsteen Look Compares To The Real Person
The Actor Looks A Great Deal Like The Rock Star
Jeremy Allen White looks a great deal like a young Bruce Springsteen in the Deliver Me from Nowhere trailer, although the star’s eras may be mixed up. Nebraska was a unique effort for Springsteen and moved away from the rock star image that he had grown to embody. Flannels and denim jackets had become integral to his look during The River and before, and they seem to be an aesthetic focus in the film, but at least the promotional pH๏τography for Nebraska gave Springsteen a cleaner-cut look to go with his new sound that is not present in the trailer.
Of course, this is nitpicking, and may not even be entirely accurate; Nebraska was recorded in 1981, and its American folk-history focus was birthed from just beyond The River‘s sessions, transforming into something else as it went along, suggesting that the promotional look for the album may not match his style during the recordings. While White is not a ᴅᴇᴀᴅ-ringer for Springsteen, the design that the film has used pulls at some of the most popular images of the star, dressing White up as a convincing interpretation of him. Certainly, the actor looks able to pull off the role convincingly.
How Jeremy Allen White’s Accent Compares To Bruce Springsteen’s
White’s Voice Is An Excellent Interpretation Of Springsteen’s
Springsteen has a very specific and delicate twang to his speaking voice. While the musician is considered by many to represent the working class, his entire life has actually been dedicated to making music, and a soft, storytelling diction with a very New Jersey-centric edge grew out of this. With a delicate confidence and earnestness, Springsteen’s speaking voice has become familiar to many, even before the musician narrated the audiobook of his autobiography and went on to host the popular podcast Renegades alongside former US President Barack Obama.
White leans into the Jersey accent and gives his voice a bit of softness, although his diction does not exactly match Springsteen’s. This might be the biggest differentiator in the performance, but it is likely for the best. Much of White’s own dynamic acting comes from the inflections in his voice, and much of this can still be seen in the performance. After all, in any convincing rendition of a real person, it is important that there is a balance to the impression, otherwise it turns into caricature. That important restraint can thankfully be seen in the trailer.
How Jeremy Allen White’s Singing Voice Compares To Bruce Springsteen’s
The Singing In The Trailer Sounds Just Like The Boss
The new trailer for Deliver Me from Nowhere shows White preparing for recording sessions with Mike Batlan (Paul Walter Hauser), and it’s hard to differentiate his singing voice from the original recordings. These sessions with Batlan were small and intimate, and showed a different side of Springsteen as he recorded tracks like the тιтular “Nebraska.” The new version sounds almost indistinguishable from the original, with only minor inflections on the voice, such as on “just a-twirling her baton” to differentiate. Even Springsteen himself had difficulty discerning the difference, as attested to co-star Gabby Hoffman attested to ScreenRant:
I’ve heard nothing but incredible things, which, of course, doesn’t surprise me at all. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say this — but I guess I’m going to — I even heard that Bruce couldn’t believe that what he was hearing wasn’t his own voice when he heard Jeremy sing.
It is incredible that White is able to encapsulate this sound so perfectly, but what is even more impressive is the dynamism shown just in the trailer. White is next seen performing on stage, rocking with the E Street Band to one of Springsteen’s biggest hits, “Born to Run.” The song requires a very different kind of performance, but Allen matches it excellently, pulling at Springsteen’s signature huffy rasp to recreate not just the visuals, but even the sound of the 1975 single and the man who sang it.
Director Scott Cooper has a history of making great dramas, and it appears that he has put a great deal of care into the new Bruce Springsteen biopic. Fortunately, the director was able to find an excellent star in Jeremy Allen White to play the lead role. White’s turn as Bruce Springsteen is incredibly convincing in all the most important ways, but he also seems to bring a lot of himself and his own ability to the film. Hopefully this all coalesces, making Deliver Me from Nowhere into one of the best pictures of the year.
