Songwriting, Bruce Springsteen says in “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” is “a funny thing, it’s about searching for something … something that’s going to give your life a little bit of meaning.”
That search, both artistic and deeply personal, lies at the heart of the new film exploring the rock icon’s struggle with depression during the creation of his 1982 album, Nebraska.
In an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America, which aired Monday, Springsteen opened up about revisiting some of the darkest moments of his life.
“They tend to be the most interesting moments of your life,” Springsteen reflected. “At the end of the day, you know, when you’re making your way through some sort of crucible, hopefully to come out the other side with some knowledge gained, some greater sense of self, and a story to tell.”
Directed by Scott Cooper, the film examines how the stripped-down, haunting sessions of Nebraska became a lifeline for the artist.
“Scott did an incredible job of transposing the fundamental nature of the album into film,” Springsteen said.
When Stephanopoulos asked if he viewed the movie as a story about what Cooper described as “a neglected soul repairing himself through music,” Springsteen didn’t hesitate.
“Music was the first way that I really medicated my anxieties and my depression,” he admitted.
“I really knew what to do with those three hours on stage. It was the other 21 that were killing me, you know?” he added with a laugh.
When asked if, in those darkest times, he believed he would ever “merge whole,” Springsteen was candid.
“No,” he said. “In the middle of it, there’s a lot of confusion, chaos and unsureness, you know?
I think that I was very surprised when I had my initial whatever you’d like to call it, breakdown, anxiety attacks. I had, up to that point, been quite successful in using my musical meds and keeping myself relatively steady.”
“So it was very shocking to run into it where suddenly those things stopped working,” he continued.
Portraying the music legend on screen is The Bear star Jeremy Allen White, alongside Succession actor Jeremy Strong, who plays longtime manager Jon Landau.
“They’re such big shoes to fill, and I just wasn’t sure,” White admitted about playing Springsteen.
He continued, “I don’t play guitar, I don’t sing. I said, ‘Are you sure you don’t wanna find a guy that can kinda do some of these things, you know?’”
Despite White’s hesitation, Springsteen revealed he was his first choice for the role.
“There was something about the way Jeremy carried himself,” Springsteen said. “He was the first guy that I thought of.”
Director Scott Cooper agreed, adding, “What they share that they don’t teach at Juilliard is swagger. And you either have that or you don’t.”
Springsteen laughed, replying, “I always tell Scott when he says I have humility and swagger, he’s half-right.”
A Rare Portrait of Male Friendship and Loyalty
Beyond the music, the film also delves into the deep bond between Springsteen and Landau, a relationship White described as “a brotherhood.”
“You don’t see men in this environment sort of leaning on each other in this way, and protecting each other in this way,” White said. “It’s normally reserved for, like, a war film, or something like that.”
Strong, who portrays Landau, said his performance came from a “relentless process of observation and study,” even down to mimicking Landau’s walk without his realizing it.
Landau recalled with a laugh, “Our road manager, he says, ‘I was watchin’ you guys walk to the car. You know something? He walks exactly like you.’ And I just realized he was already… he was just copyin’ me right there, you know, right from the beginning.”
For White, having Springsteen on set could have been daunting, but instead, the rock star’s presence offered reassurance.
“I think I was nervous that Bruce was there or, in my deepest insecurity, that Bruce was there to pick apart what I was doing,” he explained. “But then very, very quickly I learned that he was there to be a guide, to be a support.”
White described moments on set when the line between actor and artist seemed to blur.
“We had a group of background actors that was so excited to be here that day. And I would be performing up there, and they would be screaming so loud. And I could really find a moment where I tricked myself, and I felt they were screaming for me,” he said, laughing.
“And then our first AD would yell, ‘Cut,’ and everybody went silent,” he added. “And I realized, ‘I’m just an actor. I am no Bruce Springsteen.’”