StephenGraham is an actor known for his roles in productions such as “The Irishman”, “Boardwalk Empire”, “Snatch”, “Boiling Point”, and above all “Ripening”. In the movie “Springsteen: Save Me from Nothingness”which has just been released in Polish cinemas, plays the title character’s father.
Graham admits he was never a huge Springsteen fan. Stevie Wonder, James Brown and Otis Redding records were playing at his parents’ house. – We didn’t listen to American rock at all – he says. – But thanks to this film, I heard “Nebraska” for the first time. And only then did I understand how much truth and pain there is in this music. Now I listen to it all the time.
While working on the set, dramatic events occurred – director Scott Cooper and several crew members lost their homes in the fires in Los Angeles.
– Their families were safe, but they lost their homes. And then something extraordinary appeared on the set – great respect, shared energy, the awareness that we are all part of something bigger together. We all felt proud and grateful to Scott (Cooper, the film’s director – ed.) and the crew members who – despite the tragedy – stayed with us to finish the film – recalls the Briton. He adds: – It was one of the most beautiful acting experiences in my entire life.
2025 is a special year for Graham. After the success of the series “Ripening” with Jeremy Strong and a role in “Springsteen: Save Me from Nothingness”also starred in “Good Boy” – a film by Polish director Jan Komasawhich is currently touring festivals. It was shown, among others, at the prestigious London Film Festival, where it received great reviews.
He talks to Stephen Graham Artur Zaborski.
Artur Zaborski: Bruce often refers to his complicated relationship with his father in his songs. Did you draw from his texts to better understand your character?
StephenGraham: – NO. I found inspiration in his book “Deliver Me From Nowhere”, which I listened to in the form of an audiobook – it was read by Bruce himself. For me it was a huge source of knowledge. And a great opportunity to get to know Bruce and understand him better. I discovered that every time he talked about his father, his tone of voice changed. When we met and talked about it, he had no idea that he was changing his tone of voice, and that was his way of reacting to his father. We had really nice conversations. He told me that he knew his father loved him, but he had never felt that love until that moment that viewers will see at the very end of the film.
Did you talk to Bruce Springsteen early in your preparation for the role, or did you meet later?
– I met him when I arrived at the set on the first day of shooting. We didn’t have any very deep conversations about his father. Rather, he gave me small, short comments that I remembered. But really, Bruce was there for almost every scene I did. And it was a really nice feeling – knowing it was there. Several people told me, “You must have been nervous playing his father with him standing next to him.” But that wasn’t the case at all. If anything, I felt like a child playing football with his father watching over him from the sideline. He was there, watching, his energy and presence were palpable. And I think it helped my game.
Were you a fan of Bruce Springsteen’s songs before joining the cast of the project?
– I’ll tell you the truth: I’m not a big fan of Bruce. I knew his music and his greatest hits, but when I was growing up, in my house we listened more to Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Otis Redding and such artists. There was no American rock or folk rock there. I grew up in a completely different home because that was the kind of music my father liked. And when I was old enough to have my own tastes, I was more interested in Grandmaster Flash, A Tribe Called Quest or Wu-Tang Clan – these were more my style. That’s why working on this film was a great pleasure for me, because thanks to it I listened to the “Nebraska” album for the first time in my life. And I could really appreciate it and understand how much effort Bruce put into making this record. So I approached it from a completely different perspective. Now I’m a huge fan and listen to his music a lot more often.
From the film we learn that Bruce had problems accepting fame. After so many years of your career, can you identify with this in some way?
– I don’t know, but I guess not. In my case, it’s more like 35 years of hard work, which some may see as “overnight success.” But I will still go to Tesco for shopping, I will still do the same things I always do, I will still take the train. I think it’s also a matter of age and a different perspective. I am 52 years old. I am, as I say, “on the second nine” (in a golf metaphor: in the second half of my life – note by AZ). So that’s something completely different. But I can imagine what it’s like for a young boy to suddenly be thrown into the world of fame and public attention. This is completely different. As they say, “Some people are born great, some achieve greatness, and still others have greatness forced upon them.” And that’s exactly what happened to Bruce – greatness was forced upon him.
Did Bruce give you any feedback about your role when he saw the finished film?
– He said some really beautiful things, which was incredibly moving to me. We do what we do because it is our passion – it is the art of creation. But when the man whose father you portrayed tells you that you “became in the shoes of that man” and thanks you for allowing him to “see him again”, it’s a truly monumental experience. It really was like that. And that’s the beauty of what we do. Hearing such words from Bruce – I still can’t believe that they were said.
Bruce and Doug have a very complex father-son relationship. There are many differences between them – especially in the way they communicate with the world and themselves. Do you think they have anything in common?
– They have a lot in common. These two men share the same DNA in real life. As for me and Jeremy, we also share a similar passion for acting. We are both fathers. We really have a lot in common – including a certain privacy that we both cherish. As for Bruce and Doug themselves, they both had to face their demons at some point in their lives. Fortunately, Bruce was able to work through them and get over it. He was able to reach out to his father and, in a way, become a guide for him. And in this sense – I say it often – Bruce broke a certain impasse. His father had no father. He had no role model. He also didn’t have the skills or tools to improvise and learn how to be a good father in the process. He tried his best. But men of that generation often thought that all they had to do was go to work, bring home money, and put food on the table. It was the norm back then. But times have changed. Bruce was able to break this impasse to be a great father to his children. He learned a lesson from all this.
Was there a particular scene between you and Jeremy that particularly moved you during filming and stayed with you long after you finished filming?
– Yes, that was the last scene we share in the movie. The one where the father asks his son to sit on his lap. It was unique for many reasons – it was the end of the movie, and we shot it in chronological order. But also because this is the moment when both heroes reach the end of their common path – Bruce enters this room with full understanding and awareness of what his father went through. Empathy appears in him. But something else happened at the same time: our director, Scott Cooper, had lost his home in the Palisades fires the day before. The same was true for our director of photography and several other crew members. Their families were safe, but they lost their homes. And then something extraordinary appeared on the set – great respect, shared energy, the awareness that we are all part of something bigger together. We all felt pride and gratitude towards Scott and the crew members who, despite the tragedy, stayed with us to finish the film. There was a certain seriousness there, a density of emotions. There was truly something extraordinary, some alchemy, felt in this room. It was an almost tangible, real energy. Scott prepared it all with great simplicity and beauty. It was very quiet on set. Scott just told us where the cameras would be and added, “Just be. Do your thing. Let it be what it’s supposed to be.” And honestly, it was one of the most beautiful acting experiences of my entire life.
You had an amazing year – this film, “Good Boy” directed by Jan Komasa, which is now touring festivals, as well as the hit series “Maturation”, which brought you great recognition. How do you even make sense of what happened this year? You’ve been playing for a long time, but this year was truly a breakthrough for you.
– Yes it’s true. A person just does his thing, step by step, day by day. He works, he tries, he does it for the right reasons. I’ve never had high expectations, it’s just not my style. But when the work you do with others is appreciated, it really is beautiful. It’s an honor to be part of such projects. And honestly, I just try to accept everything that happens with humility and calm. As soon as I get home, I immediately have a list of things to do – I go back to normal life. I land, put my suitcase, go to sleep, and in the morning I hear: “Okay, there’s a lot of junk out there that needs to be taken to the landfill.” I come back to reality straight away. I’m down to earth, I really am. I get in the car, take the dogs for a walk, go shopping – I do all the everyday things that make up my life. My work is a profession, but it is also a calling. As my mother used to say, “If you find something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” I agree with that.