Following his major streaming success withAdolescence, Stephen Graham is set to star in Scott Cooper’s upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopicDeliver Me from Nowhere. Graham will play Springsteen’s father, Douglas, in the movie, whileThe Bearstar Jeremy Allen White plays the musician himself. Following Graham’s stunning performance in his hit Netflix miniseriesAdolescenceas a father whose relationship with his son is complicated, to say the least, the decision to cast the British actor as Douglas Springsteen looks particularly shrewd.
With the success of the Bob Dylan biopicA Complete Unknownin this year’s movie and TV awards season, there’s plenty of reason to think thatDeliver Me from Nowherecould be in line for several of the big awardscome the 2026 Oscars and Golden Globes. At the same time, Stephen Graham’s already stellar reputation as an actor has been elevated into the stratosphere by his searingly authentic portrayal ofEddie Miller in his showAdolescence. It’s a realistic possibility that two of Graham’s performances are both sweeping the board with nominations in the same 2026 awards season.
Stephen Graham’s Adolescence Acclaim Makes His Deliver Me From Nowhere Role More Exciting
There Are Clear Parallels Between The Roles Of Eddie Miller & Douglas Springsteen
A cursory look throughStephen Graham’s best movies and TV showssuggests that he’s one of the biggest British actors of his generation. YetGraham has never really received the level of recognition he deserved,despite his exceptional performances in the likes ofBand of Brothers,This Is England,Boiling Point, and Martin Scorsese’sThe Irishman. Now, the Netflix miniseries has rightly put him on the map on a whole different level, with Graham’s performance a major reason why thedeeper meaning ofAdolescencein relation to masculinityand fatherhood has touched so many viewers.
“Stephen Graham’s role as Jamie’s father, Eddie, showcases his range as an actor, combining fear, anger, and sadness as his son is accused of a heinous crime."- Nick Bythrow -Screen Rant’s review ofAdolescence
It’s these themes that have set Graham up perfectly to play Bruce Springsteen’s fatheron the big screen inDeliver Me from Nowhere. Springsteen famously had a difficult relationship with his father, and no actor in the world right now seems better equipped to convey the complexities of this dynamic from the paternal perspective than Graham, in light of hisAdolescencerole.
He Could Be Up For Supporting Actor On TV & Cinema’s Biggest Awards Nights
Image via Hulu
Deliver Me from Nowhereis slated for release at the end of 2025, just in time to take center stage as the Oscars buzz ramps up. The movie could have a major presence at the 2026 Academy Awards, especially if it sparks arivalry between Timothée Chalamet and Jeremy Allen Whitefor the Best Actor award. By then, Graham may well have won multiple Emmys for his work onAdolescence, both as an actor and as co-creator and co-writer of the series alongside Jack Thorne.
Stephen Graham has long been appreciated by his industry peers but hasn’t got the broader international acclaim his acting has warranted until now.
If Scott Cooper’s Springsteen biopic lives up to expectations, Graham’s awards season might well continue into 2026, too. While the part of Eddie Miller inAdolescencemakes him a contender for a supporting actor Emmy, his depiction of Douglas Springsteen could well earn him the equivalent Oscar nomination. Stephen Graham has long been appreciated by his industry peers but hasn’t got the broader international acclaim his acting has warranted until now. WithAdolescenceandDeliver Me from Nowhere, it could be a case of two buses coming along at once.
