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Jeremy Allen White says becoming Bruce Springsteen started with the jeans

16/12/2025

Est. Reading: 2 minutes

Jeremy Allen White describes Springsteen transformation

Jeremy Allen White said his transformation into Bruce Springsteen began with putting on his snug denim jeans. The newly released biographical musical drama film, sees Jeremy Allen White as rock legend Bruce Springsteen. Scott Cooper’s film tells the story of the making of Bruce Springsteen’s early acoustic album 'Nebraska', in a New Jersey bedroom in 1982. It’s a deep insight into a young musician on the cusp of global superstardom. As well as a celebration of rock, it tells a real and moving story.

In describing what it was like to portray the Boss, White revealed that Springsteen’s famously 'snug denim' jeans didn’t just complete the look, it changed how he stood, walked, and even ate. White joked that the costume alone taught him how to move like the real deal.

When he was asked in an interview with actress Kate Hudson for US outlet Variety how it felt to wear Springsteen’s clothes, White said "I felt like I had to stop eating. It was all really helpful, the boots, the jeans, the jackets". He said the clothes really informed the physicality of his performance, to really encapsulate the aura of Springsteen. He also gushed over a "precious" moment, where Springsteen gave him "his St Christopher medal that he had for a very long time, and he gave me a guitar to learn to play, a 1955 Gibson J 200".

Jeremy Allen White said he first met Bruce Springsteen in London at Wembley Stadium, where he was invited to watch a soundcheck and even go on stage before the audience arrived. They then spent a few weeks together, and Springsteen ended up being on set a lot more than expected. Talking about the music, White said he was lucky because Springsteen’s Nebraska album is musically quite simple, using only a few chords, which made it easier for him to handle the musical side of the film.

White also emphasised how Springsteen's musical honesty made the whole experience so much easier. White expressed that Springsteen’s music is very honest and very detailed, and that Nebraska clearly shows Springsteen’s own real life and experiences. He explained that this made it easier for him to understand Springsteen and play the role, because the album acted like a guide or “map” for him.

White also shared during an interview for Variety, that the Born In The USA singer visited the biopic set. She had asked how involved Springsteen had been in the production, to which White replied "“Bruce gave the go-ahead for our director, Scott Cooper, to do this movie but was hands-off during the writing process".