How a nun taught Steve Buscemi about the harsh realities of acting
Steve Buscemi has nothing to prove. The actor is one of the most consistent through-lines of the best movies of the 1990s, and continues to enchant audiences with his offbeat charm. Reservoir Dogs, Armageddon, Fargo, and The Big Lebowski are just a few of the films of the period that are graced by his presence, and he went on to play a recurring character in one of the most respected television series of all time, The Sopranos. With his distinctive voice and unconventional features, Buscemi is a standout part of any film, but it’s his quirky intensity and comedic chops that make him one of the most indelible and beloved stars in Hollywood.
His career started in independent films in the ‘80s such as Parting Glances and Mystery Train, but his fame took off as soon as he was cast in movies from directors who shared his offbeat energy like Quentin Tarantino and the Coen brothers. There is something endearingly vulnerable about Buscemi even when he’s playing a villain, which provides the perfect comedic fodder for filmmakers who always add an element of humour even when they’re dealing with shootouts and wood chippers.
But it wasn’t always a given that Buscemi would become the go-to star for Hollywood’s most idiosyncratic ‘90s auteurs. When he was a kid, he learned a valuable lesson about the harsh realities of his future profession, and the font of show business wisdom turned out to be a nun.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2017, Buscemi remembered the formative experience. He was seven, and his Catholic school was putting on a production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. He had his heart set on the role of one of the dwarves, but in the end, he didn’t get the part.
“I was a little crushed,” he admitted. “I asked our nun if I could have that part, and she said: ‘Oh no, I’m giving the part to another kid.’ She was sweet about it, but I just remember being really disappointed: ‘Oh, this is what life is.’”
Unfortunately, this was just the first of many rejections that the future Emmy winner had to endure before breaking through. In the ‘80s, he worked as a firefighter to supplement his work in the theatre, but even when he was regularly snagging bit parts in movies, he learned that he was always expendable. “I remember going in to read for one part and asking the casting director if I could read for the lead, and she looked at me, and said: ‘Oh no, they’re going to get a name for that part,’” he said, adding, “I was like: ‘OK, I have to get a name now, it’s not enough to be a working actor.’”
Luckily for all of us, he changed his tactic and began auditioning for roles that were big enough to give him, if not top billing, at least a familiar name. The nuns at his Catholic primary school might not have recognized it, but Buscemi had talent and charisma that could not be denied.
