Actor Turturro Trains With Sleight-Of-Hand Expert For New Pickpocket Film

John Turturro spent recent weeks practicing wallet theft in production offices and on set to prepare for his role in the new film The Only Living Pickpocket in New York. The actor, who is 69, stars as Harry, a skilled thief who serves as the primary caretaker for his catatonic wife. The plot centers on a specific heist where Harry steals a backpack from a college-aged student, who is revealed to be the grandson of a crime boss.

To master the physical mechanics of the role, Turturro trained with Apollo Robbins, a renowned sleight-of-hand artist. Robbins coached Turturro on misdirection techniques and provided specific exercises to refine the actor's movements. Turturro noted that he utilized every available opportunity to practice, including working on his craft during downtime in the production office. The training focused on identifying vulnerable clothing styles, such as tight horizontal pockets on jeans or backpacks with zippers that are not fully secured.

The film marks another entry in a long career defined by morally complex characters. Turturro’s previous credits include Do the Right Thing, The Big Lebowski, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?. In recent television work, he appeared in The Night Of, The Plot Against America, and Severance. He describes his attraction to these roles as a drive to explore the unknown, comparing the process to mining for material in a sub-basement. He finds the possibility of failure exciting because it forces precision.

Turturro also discussed the personal experiences that inform his performances, including his role as the legal guardian for his late brother, who had schizophrenia. He described the challenge of hiring aides and managing residences for his brother, noting that the lack of a stable system often left mentally ill individuals on the streets. He recalled bringing food to his brother at New York Presbyterian hospital and sometimes having it thrown at him, a dynamic that required him to form a protective barrier around himself.

His upbringing in a volatile household also shaped his perspective. His father suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after being on a destroyer that hit a mine during World War II. Turturro said he witnessed significant violence growing up, which allowed him to understand explosive characters with a sense of reality rather than just imagination. He noted that his mother, a dressmaker, kept the family together and that he helped her with patterns and hems, including modeling wedding dresses when the mannequin was too small.

Turturro grew up in Hollis, Queens, a predominantly Black neighborhood, before moving to Rosedale, which was more Italian, Irish, and Jewish. He felt prejudiced in Rosedale because neighbors assumed he was Puerto Rican. He said these multicultural experiences helped him work comfortably with diverse casts and directors, such as Spike Lee, who shares a similar background. Turturro believes aging has expanded his artistic toolbox, allowing him to use stillness and precision to compensate for reduced physical speed.

The production team for the interview included Lauren Krenzel and Nico Gonzalez Wisler, who produced and edited the broadcast version. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper, and Meghan Sullivan adapted the content for the web.