Copyright Screen Rant
Jeremy Allen White of The Bear fame is generating plenty of Oscar buzz for his highly anticipated lead performance in Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, which releases in theaters this Friday (October 24). While White is still best known for playing an anxiety-ridden chef determined to conquer a cutthroat kitchen environment, this is not his first time portraying a real person. White wrapped up his tenure with the TV series Shameless in 2021 and got started on The Bear in 2022, shortly after starring in the sports biopic The Iron Claw as pro wrestler Kerry Von Erich, alongside Zac Efron and Harris Dickinson as two of the other Von Erich brothers. While The Iron Claw didn't make it to the Oscars, White has another chance at a nomination with the monumental role of Bruce Springsteen. In a recent interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley, White talked about how playing real-life figures like Von Rich and Springsteen, especially when it comes to the tragic events of their lives, is a "tightrope walk." The actor shared that he does his best to approach these roles with respect for people's real experiences while still "[telling] [his] version of these men." Check out White's full comments below: ScreenRant: In a recent memory, you've played a couple real-life people and really spotlighting their tragic stories. Kerry Von Erich in The Iron Claw, and now Bruce Springsteen in one of the darkest periods of his life here in Deliver Me From Nowhere. Can you talk to me about the responsibility you feel when you're entrusted with someone's vulnerability like that? White: Yeah. It's just heavier. I mean, every time you approach a character as an actor, it feels heavy and there's a world out there hopefully that's going to watch it and judge it on its honesty, and then when you're playing a real person, it's not just the public you're contending with. It's oftentimes family, fans, audiences in the case of both Kerry and Bruce, and yeah, I don't know. You want to tell your version of these men and you want to have some kind of input and understanding perhaps that their fans might not have, but you also feel like you don't want to interrupt the sort of very specific and intimate relationship that these men and especially Bruce Springsteen have with their fans. And so it's a bit of a tightrope walk to try and bring a new perspective to a character who happens to be a real person while also feeling like you're not losing that person, I guess, at the same time. In short, White is aware of all the implications of playing a real person, as it means trying to emulate someone else's life, incorporating many experiences that are not the actor's own. A biopic is hopefully a balance between a fictionalization that allows for entertainment and gives the subjects the space of their own experiences while still paying tribute to their life and work. Ironically, White has yet another role based on a real person coming up. White is set to play journalist Jeff Horowitz in The Social Reckoning, the upcoming loose sequel to David Fincher's The Social Network. White's Deliver Me From Nowhere co-star Jeremy Strong is also in this movie, taking over the role of Mark Zuckerberg from Jesse Eisenberg. White is also breaking into the world of blockbuster films next year, appearing in Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu as Rotta the Hutt. His other upcoming projects include The Painted Bride, co-starring Mandy Patinkin and Isabella Rossellini, and Enemies, co-starring Austin Butler and Anna Sawai. White also just offered an update on The Bear season 5, as the award-winning series is expected to return.
