The Only Living Pickpocket in New York Sparks Reconciliation Between John Turturro and Giancarlo Esposito

Perhaps not everyone knows there was a time when John Turturro and Giancarlo Esposito cordial detested each other. If we’re telling you this, it’s because the two actors share some scenes in the beautiful The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, the film by Noah Segan that premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and which features Turturro in a leading role for the first time in twenty years. The part the director entrusted to Esposito, who for us will always be Gus Fring from Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, is that of the New York Police Department detective Warren, who has known the main character Harry Lehman for many years. The relationship between the two is complex, hovering between a somewhat melancholic friendship and antagonism. Back in distant 1989, what linked the two actors was only antagonism. That year wanted them both in Do the Right Thing. The two did not know each other, and in an interview just released to The Hollywood Reporter, Esposito recalled that he felt immediate antipathy toward Turturro and that the sentiment was mutual. “I hated him,” the actor even said, later explaining that somehow he recognized himself in the colleague. Giancarlo and John were strongly sought by also for the subsequent Mo’ Better Blues (1990) and Jungle Fever (1991), yet in neither of those did they act side by side. In any case, on the set of The Only Living Pickpocket in New York a miracle happened and the relationship was completely transformed, aided by a scene set in the detective Warren’s office in which Turturro stepped out of character to remind Esposito how long they had known each other.

We were on the Pickpocket set, in Detective Warren’s office, and in the middle of a take he took a deep breath. I knew he hadn’t forgotten the lines. He’s a seasoned professional, as am I, but he simply had to pause. And in the middle of the scene, he looked me straight in the eyes and said: “You’re my uncle. You’re my father. You’re my family.” Tears welled up in my eyes because I felt the same way. We’re both Italian and somehow we share a genetic bond: for who we are and where we come from. John had to admit it for a moment, because he felt as if he were in a room with all of his family. Working with someone who is so present as an actor has something special that I always welcome and desire to have. But I realize I can truly see a person only if I am very present to myself and willing to show them who I am. And if the other person can see me, then they can see themselves as well. So there’s a game of mirrors, and this creates excellent on-screen chemistry.

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York tells the story of a former master of pickpocketing who, in a world that has changed deeply, struggles to go on and ends up in a bad scrape after robbing the heir of a ruthless crime family. The film is a love letter to the Big Apple, and the cast also includes Steve Buscemi, Will Price and Tatiana Maslany. The release date in theaters has not yet been announced.