John Turturro discusses rare lead role in The Only Living Pickpocket in New York
In a new CBS News interview, Turturro describes what drew him to the crime story and why he considers this a fruitful point in his acting career.
John Turturro discussed his rare leading role in The Only Living Pickpocket in New York in a CBS News interview published October 18. He said the crime story appealed to him for its humanity and tenderness. CBS News reported that the film is scheduled to open in theaters on October 23, bringing a less familiar kind of role for an actor known for memorable supporting performances.
Why the pickpocket story appealed to Turturro
Turturro described the film to CBS News as evocative and moving, finding a love story within its crime thriller premise. Sony Pictures Classics identifies his character as Harry Lehman, an aging pickpocket facing diminishing returns in a changed New York. The premise places a man accustomed to taking from others at the center of a story Turturro sees as tender as well as suspenseful.
The interview took place in Turturro’s Brooklyn neighborhood with Ben Mankiewicz, a Turner Classic Movies host. Speaking about performance more broadly, Turturro said he does not need an audience to like the person he plays. He wants to hold viewers’ attention and surprise them. Those priorities help explain his interest in a lead character whose familiar way of life is becoming harder to sustain.
How Turturro views his acting career
CBS News traced Turturro’s screen career to his first movie role in Raging Bull, before he received a scholarship for graduate study at the Yale School of Drama. It also noted his nine collaborations with Spike Lee, beginning with Do the Right Thing, and his work with the Coen brothers on Miller’s Crossing and other films. The new film gives him a rare leading part after decades of work across film and television.
Reflecting on that career, Turturro told Mankiewicz he has been able to keep working and entertain people, sometimes making them think, laugh or cry. He called the present a ‘very fruitful time.’ His measure of success in the interview centered on continuing to work and reaching audiences, as he prepares for the film’s scheduled theatrical opening.
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Sources and context
- Natural-born actor John Turturro: “I'm at a very fruitful time”CBS News
- The Only Living Pickpocket in New YorkSony Pictures Classics
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.