Washington DC [US], September 27 :  Actor John Turturro reflected on his career, upcoming projects and the growing awards buzz around his latest film ‘The Only Living Pickpocket in New York’ during a masterclass session at the Zurich Film Festival, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 
Fresh from receiving the festival’s Golden Eye award, the Emmy-winning actor joined Deadline’s Melanie Goodfellow for a career-spanning conversation, where he discussed his decades-long journey in cinema, his transition into filmmaking and his latest performance that has already generated awards attention, as per the outlet. 
In ‘The Only Living Pickpocket in New York’, directed by Noah Segan, Turturro plays Harry, a veteran pickpocket whose carefully controlled life unravels after a job goes wrong, leading to a tense chain of events over 36 hours.
Speaking about entering the best actor awards conversation for the film, Turturro said he had not previously focused heavily on campaigns but wanted to support a project he believed in.
“I never really have gone the whole hog with it. But now I’m the lead in the film, so I’m going to support the film because I love the film,” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 
The actor added that recognition can help in future projects but is not the primary reason behind his work.
“Is it nice to be acknowledged? Great, but that’s not why you do it,” Turturro said. “Just because a film is really popular doesn’t mean it will have staying power, but it’s nice to be in the conversation.”
“I don’t look upon myself as being a competitive person. I’m competitive with myself,” he added.
Turturro said he was surprised by the strong response to the film after its Sundance success, adding that his years of life experience have helped him grow as an actor.
“My job is I like to try to improve, and I feel like being an actor is one of the few things you can improve in,” he said.
The actor also confirmed his return as Irving Bailiff in the third season of Apple TV+’s acclaimed series ‘Severance’, starring Adam Scott.
“Yeah,” Turturro said when asked about returning to the show. “As long as they give me interesting things to do, then I’m interested.”
He also spoke warmly about Christopher Walken, whose character Burt Goodman shared a romantic storyline with Irving in the series.
“I said, ‘I want Chris, because I love Chris.’ And I don’t have to act that I love him because I love him,” Turturro said.
Turturro also recalled his acclaimed HBO crime drama ‘The Night Of’, saying he was proud of the series and would have liked to continue it for another season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 
“But they couldn’t agree on what the story would be,” he said, adding that it remained “one of those great experiences” of his life.
The actor’s career spans more than four decades, including collaborations with filmmakers such as Spike Lee, the Coen brothers, Martin Scorsese, Robert Redford and Pedro Almodóvar. His notable works include ‘Do the Right Thing’, ‘Jungle Fever’, ‘Barton Fink’, ‘The Big Lebowski’ and ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’
At his Golden Eye award ceremony, Turturro quoted Italian novelist Cesare Pavese and reflected on his journey in cinema.
“I still consider myself a beginner in many ways,” he said. “I’m very fortunate. I wanted to make a living doing something that interested me and to do interesting work — to share that with an audience.”
The 22nd edition of the Zurich Film Festival, which also honours Julianne Moore and Tom Hiddleston this year, will continue until October 4, according to The Hollywood Reporter.