Jeremy Strong reveals how Bruce Springsteen himself captured authenticity for key Deliver Me From Nowhere scene

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Over the past ten years, Jeremy Strong has frequently portrayed real people in his films, taking on roles like Lee Harvey Oswald, Jerry Rubin, and Roy Cohn. He’s known for bringing these historical figures to life on screen.

In the new film Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, actor Jeremy Strong faced a unique challenge: portraying someone still living. He plays Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen’s longtime manager and producer, and the movie depicts Landau’s unwavering support for Springsteen during a challenging time in the musician’s life.

It’s been incredibly rewarding to know that Jon feels understood and accurately portrayed in the film, and that the movie truly captures who he is.

“For me, in a way, the movie has an audience of one, and it’s him – so that’s been amazing.”

Strong mentioned that Landau was a valuable source of information and advice, someone he could consult when needed. However, he also noted that he still had to do a lot of independent research to fully understand and perform his duties.

He explained that he couldn’t just hand off his work to someone else on the day of filming. He needed to fully embody the character, to the point where he genuinely felt like ‘Jon’ when he arrived on set, and that required a deep understanding that couldn’t be achieved with last-minute help.

It was amazing having direct access to information whenever we had questions or wanted to develop scenes further. Both he and Bruce were very helpful and freely shared their knowledge with us.

When asked about a specific scene showcasing this support, Strong highlighted a moment where Jon visits Bruce when he’s feeling down and offers him encouraging words.

I just had a feeling something was different, and Bruce and Jon had been texting a lot the night before we filmed the scene,” he said. “In the beginning, as Bruce writes about in his book Born to Run, they often stayed up all night sharing music, just playing records for each other.

I decided I wanted to play Bruce a song, so I asked everyone what I should play. We then had a long text conversation filled with different suggestions.

I eventually asked Bruce what song he’d choose if he needed to save a friend’s life. He sent me ‘Last Mile Of The Way’ by Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers around midnight the night before filming, and that’s the song we used in the movie. It really shows how much we worked together and how genuine the whole process was.

The film highlights the strong and supportive relationship between Landau and Springsteen, both as friends and colleagues. Landau consistently championed Springsteen’s creative ideas, even when record label executives disagreed.

And this aspect of their relationship was one that Strong found especially rewarding to explore.

He expressed deep admiration for Jon, describing him as a dedicated protector of the work’s quality. He likened Jon to Cerberus, the mythical guard dog, emphasizing his unwavering commitment to defending it.

He’s dedicated to preserving Bruce’s artistic intent, shielding it from anyone who might try to change it for profit. He’s built a supportive environment that has allowed Bruce to create his work authentically.

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2025-10-25 12:04