Marc Maron Speaks on Jeremy Allen White’s Bruce Springsteen Movie [Exclusive]

Comedian and actor Marc Maron is set to play a small but crucial role in Scott Cooper‘s upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic, Deliver Me From Nowhere. He recently spoke to Collider’s Steve Weintraub about the film at this year’s SXSW film festival, where he’s promoting his new documentary Are We Good? Maron discussed taking on the part in the film, which details the recording of Springsteen’s seminal 1982 album, Nebraska:

“It’s weird because it’s really a very small part, but the guy is pivotal in the story of the making of Nebraska, this engineer named Chuck Plotkin. I agreed to do it a while back, and then I’d done another movie, and then I revisited the script, and I texted Scott, and I’m like, ‘There’s not much for me to do here, man.’ He’s like, ‘You don’t have to do it. I just thought it would be fun.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, I’m sorry.’ But I love Scott and I love his movies. He’s got a very specific vision and it’s compelling. He’s great, so I went out there.”

The part didn’t require much preparation on Maron’s part, but he was happy to work with stars Jeremy Allen White, who plays Springsteen, and Jeremy Strong, who portrays Springsteen’s longtime manager and producer Jon Landau:

“The best part of it, really, was there was no reason for me to research this guy. He was the engineer. I just needed to work like I knew how to run a board. There were lines and stuff, and I had scenes with Jeremy Strong, and I had one scene with Jeremy Allen White, but it all took place in the studio, and it was the studio where they did some of the recording of trying to get Nebraska right, so it’s the real studio.”

The production of Deliver Me From Nowhere hosted some very special guests — the real Springsteen and Landau were a constant presence on set. Maron told Collider:

“The real perk of doing that movie was Strong is playing Jon Landau, and White is playing Bruce, but Bruce and Jon, the real ones, were just out at Video Village. They were hanging out the whole time. So, Scott would yell cut, and then you’d just go hang out with Bruce for a while. So, that was pretty great. I had interviewed him, so he knew me enough to hang. So anytime you had a minute to get off the set, you’d just go ask Bruce some questions. It was kind of fun to see Jeremy work, both Jeremys, and [Paul] Walter Hauser was there, too. He’s kind of a funny guy.”

What Is ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere’ About?

Maron went on to praise the storytelling of the upcoming film, and pitched it as a universal story of creativity, accessible even to moviegoers who aren’t Springsteen fans:

“I think if you’re a creative person who has come up against yourself in terms of what your vision is, the story of making Nebraska is a very compelling story, and they’re both all in. Jeremy Allen White is doing his own singing, and there were times when Bruce didn’t know whether what he was listening to was him or Jeremy. It’s a good story, man.”

In 1982, Bruce Springsteen was a successful singer-songwriter with his backing group, the E Street Band. After his 1980 album The River spawned several commercial hit singles, Springsteen set out to do something different. Inspired by his childhood memories, true-crime stories, and the works of Flannery O’Connor, he recorded a spate of new songs as stripped-down solo demos in his bedroom and then released the demos. The resulting album wasn’t a commercial hit, but it is considered by critics to be one of Springsteen’s finest albums and one of the greatest rock albums of all time. Deliver Me From Nowhere also stars Paul Walter Hauser as recording engineer Mike Batlan; Stephen Graham and Gaby Hoffmann as Springsteen’s parents, Douglas and Adele; Odessa Young as Springsteen’s love interest, Faye; Johnny Cannizzaro as Springsteen’s bandmate Steven Van Zandt; and David Krumholtz as record executive Al Teller.

Maron’s new documentary, Are We Good?, chronicles Maron’s career ups and downs, his difficult relationship with his father, and his long-running interview podcast, WTF with Marc Maron. It was filmed in the wake of the death of Maron’s longtime partner, Lynn Shelton, in 2020.

Deliver Me From Nowhere will be released by 20th Century Studios later this year; no precise release date has yet been announced. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.