Rising Star Odessa Young Lands Secret Lead Role in Anticipated Blockbuster—Everything We Know So Far

Australian breakout star Odessa Young turned heads on the red carpet at the 2025 AFI Fest Opening-Night Gala in Hollywood, where Scott Cooper’s Bruce Springsteen biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” had its world premiere. Dressed in an ivory Anthony Vaccarello gown, the 27-year-old actress greeted fans outside TCL Chinese Theatre before joining co-stars Jeremy Allen White and Paul Walter Hauser for the first public screening. Young plays Faye, a fictional composite inspired by Springsteen’s post-“Nebraska” relationships. In the film she anchors the Boss’s darkest creative period, providing an intimate counterpoint to White’s brooding portrayal of the rock legend. Early reactions at AFI Fest praised Young’s “magnetic empathy,” with Variety noting that her diner-waitress scenes “humanize the mythic musician in ways no concert footage ever could.” Speaking to reporters, Young said she drew on Springsteen’s early-’80s lyrics to build Faye’s back-story: “I listened to ‘State Trooper’ and ‘Atlantic City’ on repeat. That loneliness and grit had to be in her bones.” Director Cooper added that Springsteen personally approved Young’s casting after a Zoom audition: “Bruce told me, ‘She’s got Patti’s fire and Jersey soul rolled into one’.” The Boss has since seen the finished cut and, according to Young, “loved the film and our dynamic”. “Deliver Me From Nowhere” hits theaters 14 November and enters awards season with buzz for both Young and White. If nominated, it would cap a rapid ascent for the Sydney-born performer, who first wowed critics in “The Daughter,” then stole scenes opposite Elisabeth Moss in “Shirley” and led Eva Husson’s period romance “Mothering Sunday.” Off-screen, Young recently wrapped shooting Justin Kurzel’s thriller “Dustland” and is attached to star in Hulu’s adaptation of the bestseller “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.” Industry analysts predict the Springsteen spotlight will launch Young into the A-list. With her AFI Fest splash, festival jurors whispering “Best Supporting Actress,” and a packed 2026 slate, Odessa Young is poised to become Australia’s next global screen icon—and search interest in her name is already surging.