Bruce Springsteen Jokes Jeremy Allen White Played a 'Better Looking Version' of Him in Biopic

Bruce Springsteen shared the stage with Jeremy Allen White at a New York Film Festival screening of the biopic "Deliver Me From Nowhere," which chronicles the singer-songwriter's struggle with depression while creating his 1982 album Nebraska.

The 76-year-old rocker praised White, star of "The Bear," saying he portrayed "a much better looking version of me," a comment that drew laughter from the audience, according to Deadline.

The film, which is directed by Scott Cooper and was adapted from Warren Zanes' book, is a deep dive into the difficult and turning point moment of Springsteen's life. Besides that, the film presents Jeremy Strong as Springsteen's manager and partner in production, Jon Landau, who was a co-producer of the project.

Springsteen told TIME that Cooper faced a significant challenge in depicting his battle with depression. He admitted that after Nebraska's release, he had considered ending his life, but Landau encouraged him to seek "professional help," advice Springsteen described as "a total life changer."

Director Cooper explained to the outlet that focusing on this narrow time frame "reveals deeper truths about Bruce's lifelong struggles with identity and creative honesty."

Red Carpet and Ensemble

Personal appearances were made by, among others, Stevie Van Zandt, Johnny Cannizzaro, and co-creators at the NYFF screening, including Stephen Graham, Paul Walter Hauser, Gaby Hoffmann, and Marc Maron.

While commenting, Springsteen reminisced about his musical journey, calling it "a musical ambassador for America" and at the same time gauging "the distance between American reality, where we've often fallen short of our ideals."

He then performed a stirring rendition of "Land of Hope and Dreams," which received a standing ovation, USA Today reported.

Springsteen emphasized his connection to his roots in New Jersey, telling TIME, "What I worked very hard on was not running, but on standing, on making your life choices, and then standing with and for them. That's been my theme since that record."

"Deliver Me From Nowhere" is set to premiere in theaters on October 24.

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Bruce Springsteen