Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
John Turturro Talks ‘The Room Next Door’ Role and His Directing Career
John Turturro, honored this year with the Heart of Sarajevo Award for career achievement, took a moment between his sold-out masterclass and presenting an open-air screening of “Barton Fink” to visit the Variety Lounge, hosted by the Sarajevo Film Festival and BH Telecom.
Turturro, on his first visit to the Bosnian capital, described his experiences of exploring various cultural and historical sites, including mosques, the Jewish Museum, Grand Synagogue, and Jewish cemetery.
The actor, starring in much-anticipated titles of the upcoming fall film festivals, discussed his role in Pedro Almodóvar’s English-language feature, “The Room Next Door,” where he plays the ex-boyfriend of Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. Turturro is also set to attend the Toronto Film Festival to support this film, as well as Sean Ellis’s “The Cut.”
Turturro emphasized the benefits of long-term collaboration with filmmakers, noting that such relationships cultivate a profound level of mutual trust. He praised the late Italian director Francesco Rosi, for whom he portrayed Primo Levi in “The Truce.”
His experiences as an actor have significantly influenced his approach to directing. Turturro spoke about his work behind the camera on films like “Mac” and “Romance & Cigarettes” and reflected on what drives him to choose certain roles.
Turturro shared amusing stories about his performances in “Transformers” and “The Batman,” as well as his ventures into long-form television.
Regarding future projects, Turturro revealed, “I have a couple of things I’ve been working on. It all depends on when I land with the right cast and secure enough funding to avoid rushing through the process.”
