Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere writer and director Scott Cooper explains star Jeremy Allen White’s crucial one-take scene. The biographical musical drama based on the life and career of American cultural icon Bruce Springsteen was released in the United States on October 24, and has had mixed reviews from critics, grossing $16.2 million against a production budget of $55 million.
The film stars White in the lead role, who’s best-known for his Emmy-winning turn heading up the cast of The Bear. Based on the 2023 book by Warren Zanes, Deliver Me From Nowhere chronicles Springsteen’s struggles during the development of his 1982 album, Nebraska, and one iconic scene perfectly captures the theme of the movie.
In an interview with Screenrant‘s Liam Crowley, Cooper explained the importance of one particular scene in which Springsteen enters therapy in Los Angeles after struggling with mental health challenges, and the legendary singer just breaks down crying. He discusses the importance of the scene, and how he was keen to capture exactly what happened.
Talking about watching White give the performance, Cooper reveals he was hopeful the actor would nail the scene, which he managed, in one take.
Scott Cooper: Don’t screw this up. I mean, what you see in the film is exactly what happened.
He then discusses how the events that play out in the movie mirror real life, and how Springsteen’s struggles with his newfound fame led to him contacting his manager, Jon Landau, who recommended a therapist for him, which ultimately saved his life. Cooper revealed how he hopes the scene can inspire those who are suffering to seek help as Springsteen did.
Scott Cooper: The night before Bruce enters therapy in Los Angeles, he’s just made a road trip across the United States with his best friend, who’s still his best friend, Matt Delia, a motorcycle mechanic. And he calls Jon Landau, his manager, his confidant, his father figure, his part-time therapist, and he says, Jon, the nights are getting longer, they’re getting blacker. And Bruce was at his lowest low and he was experiencing suicide ideation. John grew incredibly alarmed in New York City where he was living, and he said, ‘Bruce, I can no longer help you. You need help. You need professional help. And Bruce, don’t do anything until you hear from me tomorrow.’ He gets Bruce in to see a noted therapist in Los Angeles. Bruce walks in, doesn’t say anything, and he just starts crying like a baby. And that was the first step towards 43 years of therapy. And my hope is that people who were also suffering through a crisis like that can find the help, can ask for the help, can get the help, because it saved Bruce’s life.
Cooper’s comments show the important role that movies can play in mirroring real-life issues and drawing attention to important things. The fact that this is something Springsteen went through is important for illustrating that even successful people can suffer with mental health conditions, and the hope is that this will prompt people watching to seek help.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere has a 61% Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score.
White’s performance is a moving and personal portrayal of a complex and supremely talented musician, but one who has had his fair share of personal demons to overcome. Deliver Me From Nowhere has had mixed reviews, but White’s portrayal, particularly in this scene, helps to elevate this character study, and may inspire people to take action.
Nebraska remains one of Springsteen’s most underrated records, and his most achingly personal. The troubled production process has only served to cement the album’s cult status, and, in many ways, this is the most important album ‘The Boss’ made in his career, as it served as the palet cleanser that helped him work through and embrace his struggles.
It’s fair to say that without the grueling emotional process behind Nebrasks, Springsteen would not have been creatively reborn enough to then make his most successful record, 1984’s Born in the U.S.A.. One of America’s greatest-living storytellers, Springsteen’s magic comes from his ability to evoke epic themes from the drudgery of daily life.
Though Born to Run turned Springsteen into a rock star, Nebraska matured him as a man, and an artist, and helped him to channel his struggles with mental health into something creative, constructive, and timeless. In doing so, he achieved a degree of catharsis that has helped fuel his creativity, and Deliver Me From Nowhere brilliantly captures this.