Adolescence star in tears over text from 'hero' Bruce Springsteen (2025)

Stephen Graham says he was left in tears after receiving a 'gorgeous' text from his 'hero' Bruce Springsteen, following his performance as the singer's late father in the biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere.

Adolescence Stephen Graham couldn't hold back the tears after receiving a "beautiful" message from his idol Bruce Springsteen.

The 51-year-old actor, who portrayed the music icon's late father, Douglas "Dutch" Springsteen, in upcoming biopic Deliver Me from Nowhere, was deeply moved by the words of the 75-year-old rock legend, who had been present on set.

Springsteen's heartfelt text made Graham feel as though he had brought the musician's father back to life through his stirring portrayal.

The eagerly anticipated film, which is set to hit cinemas later this year, stars Jeremy Allen White as "the Boss" and Jeremy Strong as Bruce's manager and record producer, reports the Mirror.

Reflecting on the experience and the touching communication, Graham shared: "[Bruce] sent me the most gorgeous texts I've ever had in my life because I do, I play his dad when his dad's like, I play him in the eighties... It was so beautiful and just said 'Better than any award that I could ever receive in my life' He's an icon. He's a hero."

Deliver Me from Nowhere delves into Bruce's life following his seminal 1982 album Nebraska, which sold over a million copies in the US. Graham expressed his joy at landing the role of Springsteen's father, who passed away in 1998, in the movie slated for release by 20th Century Studios later in the year.

Speaking on Soundtracking with Edith Bowman, the Kirkby, Merseyside native Stephen shared: "He's a working-class hero. He's an icon to thousands of millions. And he just, his text just said, "thank you so much. You know, my father passed away a while ago and I felt like I saw him today and thank you for giving me that memory'.

"I was crying reading the text, do you know what I mean? Oh mate. It was beautiful. You couldn't ask for anything more, you know, to share that with someone was gorgeous. He's a lovely man."

Bruce had previously opened up about his strained relationship with his father, revealing that his dad could barely tolerate him and spoke less than 1,000 words to him during his childhood.

In his memoir Born to Run, the singer reflected on how his factory worker father Doug largely ignored him, writing: "He loved me but he couldn't stand me. He felt we competed for my mother's affections."

When Bruce was 19, his parents relocated to California, leaving him to fend for himself in New Jersey.

Stephen also portrays a father in the recent Netflix sensation Adolescence, which over four parts narrates the tale of 13-year-old Jamie who is arrested on suspicion of murder. His actor, Owen Cooper, has received widespread acclaim and is even being tipped to bag the Best Actor in a Limited Series Emmy.

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