John Turturro

John Turturro, would you like a cupcake?

Friends, I have always wanted to fully express my love for John Turturro, and now I have the soapbox to shout it to the world.

I was reminded of this love yesterday, when I watched that first transformers movie with that kid whom I also adore, and I thought all those thoughts I'd love to share about absolute terror and how great that movie is, and that kid, and how movies are 'play' that does the work for me, because I am not as good at make-believe as I'd like to be.

And then John Turturro showed up, and stole the show. Again.

I would like to take a moment to admit that I did not give the transformers movie my full attention. I was baby-sitting, and movies are a great help to baby-sitters. I'd sort of seen some of it before, and I might like to give it all of my attention some time in the future, because it is totally an action-packed thrill-ride.

And I digress.

John Turturro is a lucky man. Because he gets the best role, every time. And we are lucky, because he is a TERRIFIC actor, who I've always found absolutely riveting, without actually understanding why. It's because he is a great actor. And because he is also absolutely riveting.

Now for John Turturro, I went to the effort to do a little effort on the research for this post, which I usually don't bother to. Mostly to remind myself how long I have been enjoying his work, because I'm flaky and can't remember every great movie I've ever seen, let alone every great performance in every good movie.

And the first thing I came across was a description on IMDB:

"...Italian American actor who always looks unsettled and jumpy..."

Which I take issue with! And can totally disprove with a casual search on youtube: Exclusive Interview with John Turturro.  

Now John Turturro has a look. And he has a talent which lets him take "his instrument," a mellow, comfortable, regular guy with some sort of a look, and give you unsettled and jumpy any time it is called for. And a whole other palette of portrayals, because John Turturro is no one-trick pony.  

He does vulnerable. Poignant. Angry, oh baby! Tender. 

And a bunch of other great stuff both related to and totally separate from unsettled and jumpy that I am not going to bother to list here because I am lazy. I haven't yet actually remembered what they all are, because I have not even finished my research for this post. And here it is nearly done already. 

Now John Turturro is lucky, because he does get the best parts. But he does not get every kind of part, which makes me sad. Because I want it all! 

And because any man gets to be the hero, no matter what kind of 'look' he's got.   

And luckily, because I did the research, and saw John Turturro in that interview, I know that he knows that already.