Freehold, it’s time for your closeup.
The Bruce Springsteen film “Deliver Me from Nowhere,” starring Jeremy Allen White as the Boss, filmed in downtown Freehold on Friday, Jan 10.
Both Springsteen, famously a native of Freehold, and White were in attendance as the period film, set in the early 1950s and ’80s, shot two scenes. In the second scene, White, as Springsteen, drove a black Z28 Camaro down South Street and made a left on Main as streets downtown were closed.
Earlier in the day, Gaby Hoffmann as Adele Springsteen, Bruce’s mom, and a young Bruce filmed a scene driving a black Studebaker outside Saffron Fine Indian Cuisine, which was made to look like a hardware store as cars from the ‘50s drove by.
Jeremy Allen White prepares to film a scene for the Bruce Springsteen movie “Deliver Me from Nowhere” on Friday, Jan. 10, in Freehold.
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Springsteen, making the rounds in town, said hello to Freehold residents and fans next to the Studebaker at the corner of South and Main after the first scene was shot. The crowd of onlookers lining Main Street grew as filming lasted into the early afternoon.
“It’s a big deal,” said Paticia Abbamonte, a 38-year resident of Freehold. “It’s not every day they come to little Freehold to make a movie, that’s for sure. I’m happy to be here — I’m curious. I see Bruce walking around. I liked (White) in ‘The Bear,’ and I’m sure he’ll resemble Bruce in the movie and do a good job.”
Jason Golub, 23, of Freehold Township, ran into Springsteen at Joe’s Barber Shop on South Street before the shoot.
“It’s a very unique experience being from Freehold, the Boss’ hometown, where they’re filming a movie with Jeremy Allen White, who I watched in ‘Shameless.’ To see him and meet him, it’s a pretty cool experience to say the least,” Golub said. “Filming in Freehold, his hometown, it’s a once in a lifetime, obviously.”
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Dukes Patel, manager of New City Super Carniceria Food Market on West Main, watched what he could of the filming from the store. A production assistant was stationed outside the market to help with pedestrian traffic flow during filming.
“It looks amazing,” Patel said. “I’m going to check it out.”
The filming did not affect business, he said, as there is an entrance in the back.
Bruce Springsteen attends the filming of “Deliver Me from Nowhere” on Friday, Jan. 10, in Freehold.
The crew relocated to the Carousel House in Asbury Park to shoot additional scenes after the Freehold filming on Friday.
A small group of fans stood outside starting around 5 p.m. as lights on the small Ferris wheel and Zippers ride illuminated the city waterfront next to Wesley Lake in the parking lot of the Carousel.
White, as Springsteen in a leather jacket, and love interest Faye (Odessa Young) enjoyed a romantic slow spin on the carousel inside while the cameras rolled.
“Deliver Me from Nowhere” is written and directed by Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart,” “Hostiles”). The cast also includes Jeremy Strong (“The Apprentice,” “Succession”) as Springsteen manager Jon Landau; Paul Walter Hauser (“Black Bird,” “Richard Jewell”) as Springsteen guitar tech Mike Batlan; Stephen Graham (“Young Woman and the Sea,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”) as Springsteen’s father, Douglas Springsteen; and Johnny Cannizzaro (“Quantum Leap,” “Jersey Boys”) as Steven Van Zandt.
The film, based on the book “Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska” by musician Warren Zanes, is scheduled to be released this year.
Location filming began Oct 28 at the Montclair Library’s Bellevue Avenue branch, and the action included four big days in Asbury Park from Dec. 9 to 12. Production was halted on the eve of a Freehold shoot on Dec. 13 as a crew member became ill.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Springsteen movie starring Jeremy Allen White films in Freehold
