Esposito and Turturro talk reunion in 'The Only Living Pickpocket in New York'
Two interviews ahead of the film's 30 October wide release have Giancarlo Esposito and John Turturro discussing the crime drama, their history from 'Do the Right Thing' and their careers.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 1Giancarlo Esposito and John Turturro star in The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, a crime drama written and directed by Noah Segan, which The Hollywood Reporter says is Turturro's first lead role on the big screen in more than 20 years. The Hollywood ReporterLC “Written and directed by Noah Segan, the crime drama marks Turturro’s first lead role on the big screen in more than 20 years.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 1Rolling Stone describes the film as a character study about an old-school thief dealing with a sick wife and a Mob-connected twentysomething, and says it goes into wide release on October 30. Rolling StoneL “A scrappy character study about an old-school thief dealing with a sick wife and a Mob-connected twentysomething”“which goes into wide release on October 30” Read at Rolling Stone ↗ Left · 2Turturro plays master pickpocket Harry Lehman, and Esposito plays Detective Warren, a former adversary turned friend; Steve Buscemi also appears in a supporting role. The Hollywood ReporterLC “Esposito plays Detective Warren, a former adversary turned friend of Turturro’s master pickpocket, Harry Lehman.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Rolling StoneL “his fellow NYC indie veterans Steve Buscemi and Giancarlo Esposito show up in supporting roles as well” Read at Rolling Stone ↗
Left · 1Esposito told The Hollywood Reporter that he and Turturro disliked each other on Do the Right Thing, saying "I hated him on Do the Right Thing, to be honest with you, and he probably hated me to a certain extent." The Hollywood ReporterLC ““I hated him on Do the Right Thing, to be honest with you, and he probably hated me to a certain extent,” Esposito tells The Hollywood Reporter, mid-laugh.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 1Esposito recalled that during a take in Warren's office, Turturro stopped and told him, "You're my uncle. You're my father. You're my family," which brought Esposito to tears; he linked this to both being Italian. The Hollywood ReporterLC “He stared into my eyes and said, “You’re my uncle. You’re my father. You’re my family.” And it brought tears to my eyes because I felt the same way.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 1Esposito also said he is developing personal projects to create a lead role for himself, and the interview notes he has ten projects due by the end of 2026, including the final season of The Boys. The Hollywood ReporterLC “By the end of 2026, he’ll have a staggering ten projects available for public consumption.”“I’m developing a few things that I have up my sleeve” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗
Left · 1In Rolling Stone, Turturro said he prepared by reading books on pickpockets and working with magician and pickpocket Apollo Robbins, and that he practised on subway trains without taking anything from riders, though he did so on set and in the production office. Rolling StoneL “Then I met Apollo Robbins, who’s a magician and a pickpocket”“I didn’t take anything from people on the train.” Read at Rolling Stone ↗ Left · 1Turturro said older actors are pushed aside in movies, though he argued that is when they do their best work because of accumulated life experience, and he described Harry as an "analog guy" in a digital world. Rolling StoneL “an “analog guy” in a modern digital world that’s passed him by”“folks try to put older actors out to pasture. Not in the theater, but in the movies.” Read at Rolling Stone ↗ Left · 1Rolling Stone's wider interview with Turturro, 69, also covers his collaborations with Spike Lee and the Coen brothers, his early acting studies and his work on Severance. Rolling StoneL “how his collaborations with Spike Lee and the Coen brothers shaped him”“the 69-year-old actor” Read at Rolling Stone ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Both outlets run celebrity interview features that treat the film warmly, as a showcase for veteran New York actors; neither includes critical or dissenting views.
- Emphasis
- The Hollywood Reporter focuses on the Esposito–Turturro friendship, the Knicks title and Esposito's career plans. Rolling Stone focuses on Turturro's craft, pickpocketing research and career history.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither piece offers critics' assessments beyond the Hollywood Reporter's passing mention of 'rave reviews'; neither covers the film's box-office or production details in depth.
- Charged language
- “rave reviews”“scrappy drama”“consummate professional”
- For example
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“The Only Living Pickpocket in New York’s rave reviews, your New York circle is having a pretty good year.” — The Hollywood Reporter
“truly works best as a showcase for the kind of nuanced, detail-oriented work that Turturro has been doing for decades” — Rolling Stone
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- The Only Living Pickpocket in New York was written and directed by Noah Segan.
- John Turturro plays pickpocket Harry Lehman and Giancarlo Esposito appears in a supporting role.
- Esposito and Turturro previously worked together on Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing.
Giancarlo Esposito person
Presents the film and his reunion with Turturro as deeply meaningful, and says he is developing projects to land a lead role of his own.
“I’m developing a few things that I have up my sleeve” — The Hollywood Reporter
John Turturro person
Presents Harry as an analog man left behind by a digital world, and says older actors do their best work with life experience, despite being sidelined in film.
“The irony is that’s when you’re doing your best work, because you have a lot of life experience to draw on.” — Rolling Stone
Left2 articles
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Sympathetic Warm Q&A led by the actors' evolution from friction on Do the Right Thing to an emotional reunion on set.
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How to Pick Pockets (and Steal Scenes) with John Turturro
Celebratory Profile of Turturro as a master craftsman, opening with a pickpocketing demonstration and praising the film as a showcase for his work.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 28 Oct 22:08 First The Hollywood ReporterLC Giancarlo Esposito and John Turturro Hated Each Other on ‘Do the Right Thing.’ Now They Break Character to Cry Mid-Scene
- 29 Oct 14:00 +15h 52m Rolling StoneL How to Pick Pockets (and Steal Scenes) with John Turturro
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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