It's true what they say about showbiz: good connections trump talent.
That's the only explanation for how some Jersey hack named Bruce Springsteen landing a one-episode stint on the next season of Lilyhammer (via Deadline).
Apparently, Springsteen is pals with the show's creator, Steven Van Zandt. They play together in a band named after a street.
But Van Zandt has been deep in the film game and has an extensive acting career (for a musician) that includes a stint in The Sopranos and a spot in Home Alone 2: Lost In New York.
He also plays Frank Tagliano, the star of Netflix's Lilyhammer, which is entering its third season. In the show, Tagliano is an ex-mob boss from New York who flees to Norway to settle down. But he fails to hide his ruthless tendencies, and a lot of fun plotlines emerge.
Springsteen, who will play a mortuary in one episode, has no prior acting experience.
He played himself in 2000's High Fidelity, but that doesn't really count, does it?
Check it out:
That wasn't so bad. Maybe Bruce has acting chops, after all.
But if the acting thing doesn't go anywhere, he's still got a fallback with his buddy Van Zandt: an album of original music for '60s singer Darlene Love.
Springsteen will be one of the featured artists, along with rumored songwriting guests Mike Stoller ("Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock"), the team of Cythia Weil and Barry Mann ("You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and "Walking In The Rain") and Carole King (all the hits, ever).
"Everybody I know that is a great songwriter, I'm talking to," Van Zandt said. "We're hoping to have an all-star album for Darlene, which she deserves."
