Even if you don't recognize John Turturro's name, it's likely you'll recognize his face. His highly ranged and often offbeat performances have kept his services much sought after over the last 25 years. With well over 60 films under his belt since an uncredited appearance in Raging Bull as "Man at table," Turturro's career has been as varied as it is prolific. But whether you know him as a Hollywood character actor or indie film-frontman, as Barton Fink or "Agent Simons" from Transformers, this year's Virginia Film Festival -- perhaps surprisingly to some -- focuses more on Turturro the director than Turturro the actor.
Turturro has forayed into directing only three times in the last 15 years. He'll be showing and speaking about two of those ventures at this year's festival: 1992's Mac and the recent Romance & Cigarettes. Turturro didn't mince words about his reasons for directing a project -- "I want to do it when I have something to say."
The projects Turturro chooses to direct are all highly personal. His directorial debut, Mac, was based on his experiences growing up in New York and, particularly, his father. In Romance & Cigarettes, Turturro returns to New York. As to exactly how autobiographical R & C is, Turturro said, "That's for me to know and you to guess." He was, however, willing to admit, "Basically it's like opening the inside of my head and looking inside of it."
Much like the inside of Turturro's head, R & C is a pretty unique piece of work. Perhaps best described as a musical dramedy, the film doesn't strap itself to any genre in particular. Even as a musical it's a bit of a deviation. The film's characters don't perform original numbers, but sing along with and dance to various classic pop tracks (songs ranging from "I Want Candy" to Elvis Presley's "Trouble").
"It started out as a black comedy and then one thing led to another," Turturro said. "I think a film can be what it is. Life is like a roller-coaster, and it changes sometimes. I wanted to tell a serious story but do it in a way that would be fun and surprising."
Turturro made it clear, however, that he doesn't see the musical and multi-genre elements as anything too farfetched.
"It's not abstract at all," Turturro said. "I think what's abstract is when you see a drama and it's just one thing the whole time. Unless it's fantastic and it's something really powerful, a lot of times it's just a waste. There's no humor; there's no sex; and it's not like life at all."
Turturro believes the varied style and especially the musical elements make R & C truer to the lives it examines.
"I wanted to explore the imagination of people who don't have a lot," Turturro said. "People use popular music in a lot of ways. It's there when you're in the car or in the shower or eating; it can help you remember something or feel something; it can take you back or bring you forward. You know, music is the quickest emotional transportation there is."
Freedom of emotional movement was something Turturro was careful to bring out in his actors. His own acting experience gave him a leg up in making the actors (James Gangolfini, Susan Sarandon, Mandi Moore and Christopher Walken, to name a few) more comfortable with the film's unique material.
"I've been acting for a long time and I've worked with a lot of directors who don't know anything about acting," Tuturro said. "I've directed myself many times, and I tried to work with a rehearsal process where people can be free because I was going to ask them to go places they maybe haven't gone before. You start small with acting exercises, things like that, singing and dancing sessions. It was good. It loosened people up and it got them to know each other. Sometimes in movies you don't even get to meet someone until the day of, so that stuff helps. Even professionals are nervous."
If you're interested in seeing Turturro and his films (and perhaps the inside of his head), he'll be showing Romance & Cigarettes at The Paramount Saturday and Mac at Regal Downtown Sunday.
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