Bruce Springsteen is a famous and talented musician, but did you know he can also act? In 2014, he briefly starred in the TV series “Lilyhammer” as the main character’s older brother, Giuseppe. His character was only around for one episode (the season 3 finale, named after his song “Loose Ends”), but he definitely made an impression on all of his fans in the audience.
Springsteen’s appearance in “Lilyhammer” was a bit like Ed Sheeran’s appearance in season 7 of “Game of Thrones.” If you were a fan of his before, you were probably thrilled, and if you weren’t a fan of his, you might still enjoy the scene for its own sake. Netflix’s first original series “Lilyhammer” is a series that sadly never got its due — it was even unceremoniously booted from Netflix in November 2022 — but Springsteen’s appearance in season 3 still made headlines at the time.
How did the musician land this role? Well, the star of “Lilyhammer” was Steven Van Zandt, a man best known for playing Silvio on “The Sopranos,” but also for his career as a musician. Van Zandt had been a member of Springsteen’s “E Street Band” before starting his solo band Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. Springsteen landed the role because he was a friend and former colleague of Van Zandt, a guy who not only starred in “Lilyhammer” but also served as director, producer and writer for the series.
Lilyhammer wasn’t Springsteen’s last acting job
What’s impressive about Springsteen’s appearance in “Lilyhammer” is not that he landed an acting role, but that Van Zandt managed to convince him to act in the first place. In a 2014 interview with AP Press (via UCR), Van Zandt said he felt honored to have been the first person to cast Springsteen in a fictional role on television:
“I know we’ve been friends for 50 years, but it meant a lot to me that he cast me and trusted me enough to direct him when literally everyone on earth wanted to… He’s really acting. It’s not an appearance. He’s not playing himself. It’s a real thing.”
The next person to tap Springsteen for a television role was Larry David on his show “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” In the show’s final season, Springsteen plays a version of himself, who quickly grows tired of Larry and his neurotic ways. The main plot point is that Larry accidentally gives Springsteen COVID-19, something that disrupts Springsteen’s concert and earns him the ire of Springsteen and the singer’s legions of fans.
Given the improvisation-heavy nature of this series, Springsteen’s performance in “Curb” showcases his acting skills even more than his performance in “Lilyhammer”, leading some critics to urge Springsteen to continue acting even further. “The real takeaway here is that Springsteen should really think about taking the role as an Act II for his career,” wrote critic Allegra Frank, who noted that Springsteen felt like a more experienced actor than he was. “Maybe this will be the start of a new wave of guest roles for the Boss, if he really wants to take a break from touring.”
