John Turturro embraces analogue as ageing thief in 'Only Living Pickpocket in New York'

Quintessential New York actor John Turturro said on Friday that his character's commitment to analogue was what had initially drawn him to his new film "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York."

"I'm not a completely analogue person, but I do miss some of that, especially the interactions that happen among people when we're all not looking at our phones," the actor known for his roles in the Coen brothers' classics "Barton Fink" and "The Big Lebowski" told journalists at the Berlin Film Festival.

He added that "it's always interesting when you have characters who actually do things physically" and interact with the world around them - in this case, on location in New York.

CHANGE IS THE 'ONE CONSTANT'

Experienced New York City pickpocket Harry, played by Turturro, shows no sign of slowing down when he targets an ostentatiously wealthy Gen Z high roller, played by "After the Hunt" actor Will Price, while he's parking his car.

Steve Buscemi, Giancarlo Esposito, Victoria Moroles and Jamie Lee Curtis also star as memorable side characters.

Part of the loot is a silver wallet card with a USB attachment with a far higher worth than it appears to the thief, who does not know how to use a cellphone or a computer, and that his mob-connected target will do anything to get back.

"There's only one constant in life, and that's change, radical change," said Turturro, who received a Primetime Emmy award in 2004 for his work in the TV series "Monk."

"You have to sort of adapt to that, and this is a story about a person who is struggling to adapt," he said.

The film, director Noah Segan's second feature after "Blood Relatives," is being shown in the Berlin Film Festival's Special Gala section for high-profile movies after initially premiering at the Sundance Film Festival last month to warm reviews.

-Miranda Murray and Swantje Stein/Reuters