Johnny Cannizzaro chatted about the new film “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” and playing Steven Van Zandt. The movie is scheduled for release on October 24th via 20th Century Studios.
In 2014, Steven “Stevie” Van Zandt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band.
“Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 seminal album “Nebraska.”
Recorded on a four-track recorder in Springsteen’s New Jersey bedroom, the album marked a pivotal time in his life and is considered one of his most enduring works—a raw, haunted acoustic record populated by lost souls searching for a reason to believe.
Playing Steven Van Zandt
On playing “Little Steven,” Cannizzaro said, “It was really a dream come true in a lot of ways. Having grown up in that area of New Jersey (the same area that Bruce grew up in) but it resonated with me, obviously, for that reason.”
“To be a part of this movie felt like the 15-year-old version of me was fulfilling his dream. So, it was really exciting in that aspect,” he noted.
Working with Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen
On working with Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen, Cannizzaro said, “Jeremy was amazing! First of all, everyone in the cast and crew was incredible. Scott Cooper, the director, had a pretty intimate crew considering the size of the film.”
“Scott made everyone feel so comfortable and so at home,” Cannizzaro said. “As far as Jeremy Allen White was concerned, one of my favorite moments was on the very first day where we were all in the Power Station recording studio. We were talking to the director, Scott, and then Jeremy Allen White entered the room.”
“When Jeremy entered, everybody started applauding for him. He came right over, and he put his arm around my shoulder, and that made me breathe such a sigh of relief, because Stevie and Bruce had that kind of relationship,” he explained.
“The two of them (Bruce and Stevie) always had that brotherly bond. So, the fact that he did that literally within minutes of meeting me was so cool. It made me feel so much more at ease. So, I really respect the fact that he did that,” he elaborated.
“Jeremy is phenomenal in this film. Jeremy sounds amazing and he looks amazing. I just can’t wait for people to see him in this role,” Cannizzaro added.
Working with the cast and crew
On working with the cast and crew, Cannizzaro said, “Literally, everyone I met on set was just phenomenal. With this being a big studio film, it felt like a very intimate production.”
“That starts at the top, from the DP to the director and writer (Scott Cooper was both). They were able to make everyone feel at home and so welcome,” he added.
Cannizzaro on what he liked most about playing Steven Van Zandt
On playing Steven Van Zandt, Cannizzaro shared, “Stevie is such an eccentric character, and I think I’m pretty eccentric myself, so I related to him in that sense. I did have an opportunity to meet him, where we had breakfast together one morning.”
“I remember showing up with probably a page of questions that I wanted to ask him. Ultimately, I didn’t get to ask any of them because our conversation just evolved so organically,” he elaborated.
“I didn’t want to ruin the flow,” he admitted. “Stevie is such a musical genius. Bruce considers Stevie his ‘consigliere’ and his arranger for the E Street Band, so the two of them just complement each other so well,” he acknowledged.
Preparing for the role of Steven Van Zandt
On preparing for the role, Cannizzaro said, “There was a lot of archive footage that was available to find online. So, I found probably everything I could. Then, the production also had a lot of archival clips that I was able to access.”
“I was also assigned a guitar coach, Larry Saltzman, who was phenomenal,” he admitted.
“Larry really helped me get Stevie’s style of playing and his fingering on the fretboard and the way he holds the guitar, which was great. The more you watch him, the more you notice these little intricacies about how he handles the guitar. So, I really wanted to try to nail those as best I could,” he elaborated.
Lessons learned from the screenplay
On the lessons learned from this screenplay, he reflected, “It taught me that I’m really no different than any other artist. I think we all go through these bouts of depression, and these dark periods of times in our lives and in our careers.”
“When you see someone as prominent as Bruce Springsteen going through the same thing, it teaches you that you are not alone in this crazy creative journey that you are on,” he explained.
The digital age
On being an actor in the digital age, Cannizzaro said, “It has definitely been a transition. For me, I tend to go with the flow. I really like it.”
“As an actor, all of our auditions have gone to self-tape now. So, in that sense, I really appreciate the digital age because doing self-tapes for auditions really allows you much more control than you ever had before,” he explained.
“As actors, we have such little control over anything in general. So having that little bit of control now, I could spend three, four hours on a tape if I want, until I know it’s perfect,” he noted.
“In that sense, I think it’s really beneficial,” he added.
Advice for young and emerging actors
“My advice for young and aspiring actors would definitely be to persevere,” he underscored.
“That’s the key word. I just passed my 20th anniversary of doing this at this point,” he said.
“So, if you can persevere, that’s really the key. So, I would tell anyone looking to pursue a career in acting or the film industry, that you need to have thick skin and to persevere,” he elaborated.
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Cannizzaro revealed, “To me, success is about the impact that your work or a story has on people.”
“For me personally, if I can make someone laugh or make them cry or even just touch their lives in any way, or make them feel less alone, that’s what I would attribute to feeling successful,” he elaborated.
Closing thoughts on ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’
For fans and viewers, he expressed about his upcoming movie, “I want people to know that it’s not a traditional biopic. It’s really a story that delves deep into a really dark time in Bruce’s life.”
“It illustrates that someone even as successful and prominent as Bruce Springsteen can go through these small bouts of depression,” he observed.
“So, I want the audience to walk away feeling less alone, and to know that the dark times don’t have to be what define you, essentially,” he concluded.
To learn more about Johnny Cannizzaro, follow him on Instagram and visit his official homepage.
