Another year, another musician biopic. 2025 brings us the story of the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, in “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.” The question that always comes up with these movies is; “Did the actor really sing?” It’s pretty impressive when the answer to that query is “Yes,” but occasionally, it gets muddy. Rami Malek technically sang for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” but his vocals were mixed with Freddie Mercury’s as well as another singer’s in order to get close to Mercury’s outstanding vocal range. So did Jeremy Allen White actually sing in the Springsteen biopic?
Yes, he did. White’s confirmed he actually sings throughout the film, and he spoke with GQ about watching numerous videos of Springsteen to get his speech patterns just right. “It’s really great to go down a YouTube rabbit hole and find him at all these different periods in his life and be able to listen to his speaking voice as well as his singing voice,” White explained. “That’s kind of been the deal, just listening to him a lot and watching him a lot.”
Many of Springsteen’s songs are featured throughout the film with White’s voice. However, the level of screaming involved with performing “Born in the U.S.A.” was too much for the actor, and he lost his voice for several days following that recording session. White also went through intense culinary training for “The Bear,” so it’s clear he goes above and beyond for his roles.
Jeremy Allen White won praise from the Boss
There’s certainly an extra layer of pressure when portraying someone in a biopic who’s still alive. Of course, when that’s the case, the actor usually has the advantage of being able to ask the subject questions about their life and understand them personally. But there’s still the lingering question as to whether the subject will actually enjoy the finished project: There are plenty of celebrities who hate biopics based on them. Fortunately, Springsteen had full confidence in Jeremy Allen White.
Springsteen spoke with The Guardian about what it was like going to set and seeing his life play out in front of him. He would often stop by to see how filming was going, although there was a point where Jeremy Allen White asked for some distance. The actor told Interview magazine: “I was like, ‘If I could just have a little bit of space to try and find my footing.’ He was like, ‘I totally understand. Not a problem.’ I think he was gone for two days, and then he came back and he was like, ‘How was that space?'”
One thing that Springsteen has made clear is that White had his full backing. Having seen him in “The Bear,” he knew that White was talented. Beyond that, Springsteen appreciated how White wasn’t doing an impression of him. “His performance was totally from the inside out, not just picking elements and wearing them like clothes,” Springsteen explained. “It’s a non-imitative performance, but somehow it greatly relates to my story and myself.” Looper’s review of “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” may have skewed negative, but at least Springsteen is happy with how he was portrayed.