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John Turturro says it's like the Coens are from "another world"
If any filmmakers have earned the right to think highly of themselves, it’s Joel and Ethan Coen. According to John Turturro, however, one of the things that makes the brothers so special is that they don’t seem particularly interested in their own legend.
Speaking to BroBible’s Post Credit Podcast while promoting his new film The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, acclaimed actor and director John Turturro reflected on a collaboration that produced Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?
John Turturro says Joel and Ethan Cohen are “real craftsmen” who are like they’re from “another world”
Across those four films, the brothers gave him some of his most memorable characters. What stands out to him just as much, though, is the kind of people they are. For all their precision as filmmakers, Turturro described collaborators who still welcome being surprised by their actors, and friends whose support extended to his own work behind the camera.
“Each thing is sort of singular. But the thing is, they’ve always asked me to do things — except the Jesus, because I had done a play where the character was a little similar — but they’ve always asked me to do things that they haven’t seen me do. I mean, that’s a great thing. They’re always a little surprised. They said, ‘Well, we didn’t know what you were going to do exactly.’ Because they’re so specific with their storyboards, even a lot of the costuming and the writing, but then the how — you can do it so many different ways,” Turturro explained.
“They’re really great guys. They’re human beings on the best level. They’re really smart, and they don’t think they’re the greatest. So you really want to please them, even if you have a tiny part or whatever. Lebowski, people, it becomes like a religion. That’s like a whole philosophy. But O Brother, people adore it, and now they love Miller’s Crossing,” he continued.
“I was just talking to someone today. They were saying, ‘Well, Fink’s my favorite guy, because I know all the lines from Fink.’ I was like, ‘Well, that’s pretty good too.’ They’re almost from another world, because they’re real craftsmen. You can say artistic, you can use that word, but they do the work. And I’ve always had so much fun with them. I want to please them because it’s like when you’re in first grade, you want to make your friend laugh. You want to make your friend happy. I’ll come up with things, and they’re like, ‘Wow, we didn’t know you wanted to do it that way.’ But I’ve always had tremendous collaborations with them.”
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York — which also stars Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, and Steve Buscemi — will begin a limited theatrical release in Los Angeles and New York City on October 23, then expand nationwide a week later. You can check out our full interview with Turturro below.