Jeremy Strong admits filming Bruce Springsteen biopic was 'a tonic' after The Apprentice

Jeremy Strong has revealed that making the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere "lifted (him) out of the darkness" after filming The Apprentice.

The Succession actor liked playing "a force of light", Springsteen's manager Jon Landau, after portraying Donald Trump's mentor, lawyer Roy Cohn, alongside Sebastian Stan in The Apprentice.

Reflecting on the experience, he told Variety, "(It was) utterly life-affirming. It's a mentor story, like The Apprentice. But if Roy is (folklore demon) Mephistopheles, Jon is a force of light. Spending time with Bruce and Jon and communing with Bruce's music, which is a gospel of hope and faith and love, as opposed to a gospel of hatred and mendacity and nihilism, which is what Roy was, it was a tonic. It lifted me out of the darkness. "

Strong went on to praise his co-star Jeremy Allen White for his portrayal of the Born in the U.S.A. hitmaker and writer-director Scott Cooper for allowing him to make tweaks to the script.

"Jeremy transformed brilliantly into Bruce. He sang brilliantly," he shared. "Our director, Scott Cooper, gave me a lot of latitude to improvise and embroider."

Deliver Me from Nowhere, which is based on Warren Zanes's book of the same name, follows Springsteen on his journey to make his sixth album, Nebraska. Filming took place primarily in New Jersey and New York between October and January ahead of a release later this year.

Strong is currently nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards for his performance in The Apprentice.