While many musicians have caught the acting bug, Bruce Springsteenhas been immune. Springsteen made notable contributions to a handful of film soundtracks like Streets of Philadelphia and The Wrestler, but he prefers not to appear in front of the movie camera. In fact, Springsteens only IMDB acting creditis for the short film Hunter of Invisible Game,which is his own music video. Thatll change soon as the rock legend has been cast as a mortuary owner in the Netflix series Lilyhammer, which stars his longtime E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt.
While it would have made much more sense for Springsteen to drive over to the New Jersey set of The Sopranos which also featured Van Zandt as mobster Silvio Dante and read a few lines, Springsteen will instead appear on his guitarists drama about a former mob boss thats been placed in the Witness Protection Program in the titular Norwegian town. Springsteen wont actually have head to Lilyhammer for his cameo as Deadline reportsSpringsteens scenes were filmed in New York. (Thats Springsteen and Van Zandt in costume and on set September 4th in the photo up top.) Van Zandts former Sopranos co-star Tony Sirico, a.k.a. Paulie Walnuts, will also appear on the upcoming third season of Lilyhammer.
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People will argue that Springsteens first acting role was his hilarious cameo as John Cusacks conscience in the 2000 film High Fidelity, but that appearance was filed under As Himself and therefore didnt count as Springsteens true acting debut. Springsteen was also rumored to portray himself in Judd Apatows 2009 film Funny People, either as the MySpace party performer(James Taylor in the film) or in the role that eventually went to Eminem. Rolling Stone asked Apatow last year whether the director ever sought to collaborate with Springsteen. I feel like I did once and failed, but Ill take another run at him, Apatow said. He was hilarious on Jimmy Fallon wearing the Seventies outfit. Im coming for him.
