NEED TO KNOW
Bruce Springsteen and Carmy Berzatto may be kindred spirits.
During an appearance on SiriusXM’s E Street Radio hosted by Jim Rotolo with the “Dancing in the Dark” singer and The Bear actor Jeremy Allen White, Springsteen, 76, spoke about White’s character.
White, 34, portrays the legendary rocker in the biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, which premiered on Oct. 24.
“Did you believe going into this that someone could portray your emotional and creative state at the time of Nebraska, or is it such a personal and authentic album?” Rotolo asked Springsteen on the Monday, Oct. 20 episode.
“Well, I’d seen The Bear, so I knew the perimeters of Jeremy’s talents,” the Born to Run hitmaker replied, “and I related to that character on The Bear very deeply myself, and I knew that this is the guy that could play the complexities of my own emotional state at that point in my life.”
“That was the most important thing to me — I mean, I could see how, just from watching The Bear, how Jeremy worked in interior,” he added.
Dave Benett/Getty for Spotify
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White spoke about Carmy in a July 2022 article with GQ. “I think that was something Carmy was really struggling with, too,” he said of his own unsteadiness, which he and Carmy both channel into their respective talents.
“We kind of found each other at a similar place. He knew he’s really gifted at this thing, but he could be painfully insecure about his abilities as well. I was feeling a little insecure at the end, too.”
He also commented on Carmy’s resolve. “What I find attractive in people is a determination. If you’re truly good at something, that’s incredibly attractive,” White said, relating it back to how fans swooned over him.
“I understand people having a crush on Carmy. I think I have a bit of a crush on Carmy.”
White’s portrayal of Carmy has earned him two Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.
At another point in the interview, Springsteen noted that in preparing to play him, White only asked him two questions — which Springsteen couldn’t recall.
“His process is very quiet. It’s very private, you know, and so on set, he was in the scene and then gone. Of course once I was on the set a little bit you could tell that he had completely prepared himself, but he had a very inner and very private process that worked real well.”
“It’s a fragile thing,” the Shameless actor responded. “I mean, you must have felt the same way, right? Having a film crew and having a young actor. I felt very fragile, in the process.”
Dave Benett/Getty for Spotify
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is in theaters.
