Jeremy Allen White took the stage at the 2025 Gotham Independent Film Awards to honour the project that has defined his year, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.
The actor and director Scott Cooper were presented with the Cultural Icon Tribute Award during the ceremony on December 1 in New York City for their work on the Bruce Springsteen biopic.
White, 34, made the moment personal as he thanked Springsteen for opening the door to tell a story that had never been told before.
“We’re very grateful that Bruce allowed us into [his] space. And to tell a story he had never told himself and never mythologized,” he said.
After stumbling on the word “mythologized,” he apologised and joked, “Sorry folks, I’m very tired,” which instantly got the room laughing.
As he continued, White reflected on what it meant to portray an icon by focusing on the person behind the legend.
“He let us meet him at his most human, vulnerable, searching and that kind of trust is rare. It is a gift and it is the reason this film exists at all,” he said.
He shared how significant the recognition felt, adding that receiving the award “for portraying a culture icon by refusing to treat him like one, is something we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.”
The Gotham Film & Media Institute had announced earlier that White and Cooper would be among the 2025 honourees.
In a statement, executive director Jeffrey Sharp praised Springsteen’s decades-long impact on audiences and explained why the film made such an impression.
He said the movie captures “the intimacy and humanity at the heart of Nebraska,” while also highlighting White’s performance as “a raw, searching portrait of Springsteen at a crossroads.”
Sharp added that the collaboration between White and Cooper reflects the type of filmmaking the Gotham community hopes to uplift, personal, bold and rooted in true storytelling.
