Steve Buscemi names his favourite ever role: “It’s one of the most interesting parts I’ve played”
The real litmus test for any character actor isn’t how many credits they manage to rack up, but who they manage to rack them up with, and what they bring to the table when they do. By that metric, it goes without saying that Steve Buscemi is truly one of the greats.
Very rarely will he be found taking top billing in any feature no matter how big or small the production will be, but he’s one of those names that audiences and industry figures alike have come to adore for the way they always bring their A-game. He’s worked with many of the best and brightest talents of the industry, which is a testament to not only his talent but his reputation for being an all-around good guy.
A regular collaborator of the Coen brothers and a long-time part of Adam Sandler’s inner circle, Buscemi has teamed up with Quentin Tarantino, Michael Bay, Abel Ferrara, John Carpenter, Robert Rodriguez, Judd Apatow and many more, in everything from popular action blockbusters like Con Air and Armageddon to genuine classics of modern cinema like Reservoir Dogs and The Big Lebowski.
He’s played a number of memorable characters along the way, whether it’s Mr. Pink, Donny Kerabatsos, or Crazy Eyes, but the part that lingers in his memory as one of his personal favourites came very early on during his career. In what was only his third credit ever in a feature, Buscemi played the role of Nick in writer and director Bill Sherwood’s 1986 drama Parting Glances.
One of the first major movies to take a frank, authentic, and realistic approach to the subject of AIDS, Parting Glances was viewed as a landmark moment for gay cinema. John Bolder’s Robert is gearing up to leave New York City for work, while his boyfriend is forced to deal with both separation anxiety and Buscemi’s Nick, his ex-lover struggling with HIV.
When asked which of his own credits he holds dearest as the best of the bunch, Buscemi didn’t waste any time coming up with an answer. “I still have a lot of affection for Parting Glances, where I played a rock musician who had AIDS,” he said to The Guardian. “I don’t know whether it’s because it’s one of the earliest, but it’s one of the most interesting parts I’ve played because he was such a complex, funny, acerbic character who had this disease and didn’t know much about it, as I didn’t know much about it then.”
Recalling that “it was a great character to play,” Buscemi was gripped by the emotional struggle at the heart of the character. “He was sort of in denial, but he wouldn’t let it get him down because he had so much life,” he continued. “It was such a great part to play.”
The downside is that, by Buscemi’s own admission, it didn’t lead to a flurry of offers along similar lines. “I thought that playing that role would lead to other roles like that,” he admitted, only to discover that the majority of parts coming his way tended to be low-level drug dealers. Still, it’s been almost 40 years since Parting Glances was released, and yet it remains at the top of his personal pile.
