Bruce Springsteen Says America Is Not a Land of ‘Government Censorship or Hatred’ During Surprise New York Film Festival Performance
- - Bruce Springsteen Says America Is Not a Land of ‘Government Censorship or Hatred’ During Surprise New York Film Festival Performance
Ethan ShanfeldSeptember 29, 2025 at 1:58 AM
0
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for 20t
Bruce Springsteen delivered a surprise performance after the New York Film Festival premiere of “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” the “Nebraska”-centered biopic starring Jeremy Allen White as the Boss.
The film, out Oct. 24 via 20th Century Studios, made a big splash in Manhattan, where Springsteen joined White and his co-stars Jeremy Strong, Stephen Graham, Odessa Young and Gaby Hoffman on-stage at Alice Tully Hall.
More from Variety
Daniel Day-Lewis on Returning to Acting in Son Ronan's Film 'Anemone': 'There Was Always a Great Ease in Each Other's Company'
'Anemone' Review: Daniel Day-Lewis Returns to the Big Screen in a Glum Piece of Art-House Inertia Directed by His Son
'After the Hunt' Stars Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield Open New York Film Festival 2025
Before performing “Land of Hopes and Dreams” on an acoustic guitar, Springsteen spoke about the film, thanking White for “playing a much better-looking version of me.” Ribbing his longtime manager Jon Landau, Springsteen went on to thank Strong for playing a “much, much better-looking version of Jon.”
The rock legend also honored his late parents, Douglas “Dutch” Springsteen and Adele Springsteen, who are portrayed by Graham and Hoffman in the movie. “They’re all gone now, so it’s nice to have this piece of film,” Springsteen said.
After a string of thank-yous, Springsteen offered: “These days we have daily events reminding us of the fact that we’re living through these particularly dangerous times. I spent my life on the road, moving around the world as kind of a musical ambassador for America … trying to measure the distance between American reality, where we’ve often fallen short of our ideals.”
He added, “But for a lot of folks out there, she continues to be a land of hope and dreams, not of fear or divisiveness or government censorship or hatred.”
Watch a clip of Springsteen’s surprise New York Film Festival performance below.
Bruce @springsteen performing Land Of Hope And Dreams tonight. #springsteen #delivermefromnowhere pic.twitter.com/x0nvgqzOKj
— Spring-Nuts (@SpringNuts_) September 29, 2025
Best of Variety
What’s Coming to Netflix in October 2025
Oscar Predictions: Paul Thomas Anderson's Overdue Narrative Takes Center Stage With 'One Battle After Another' as 'Anemone’ Makes NYFF Debut
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
