Steve Buscemi’s portrayals of psychos, bad guys, and oddballs have turned him into one
of the most recognized and accomplished actors of his generation. And with his unique look
comes a rather unique story. From being hit by a car AND a bus as a child to being stabbed,
to becoming one of New York’s finest heroes. Steve Buscemi has seen it all. But even the
finest heroes experience heartbreak and unfortunately for our beloved actor, he has had his fair
share. From his struggles with anxiety to being faced with an overwhelming feeling of
not fitting in, there was a time where Steve thought no one would be able to rid him of
this fear... Steve Buscemi rarely opens up about his personal life. But he has allowed
the world glimpses into his life, leaving everyone in awe of how he continues to move
forward, despite the many challenges that he has faced. Stay tuned and don’t forget
to subscribe to our channel.
If you're not a huge movie fanatic you might not recognize his name, but once you see his
face you will know exactly who he is. His heavy-lidded blue eyes are the crown jewels
of his appearance and one of the most recognizable sets in the business. Unfortunately growing
up his unique look left Buscemi feeling like an outcast and at many times filled him with
unease. It might have also contributed to him experiencing anxiety when he was just
a kid.
However, Buscemi's first encounter with anxiety was when he was left alone at four years old,
while his mom made a quick trip to the butcher across the street. Overwhelmed with a sense
of loneliness Steve ran over to find her. In a panic, Steve never looked while crossing
and was hit by a bus. Although at the time it just seemed like bad luck, this incident
would later be the reason he was able to pursue his acting career. As the city paid him $6,000
compensation which he later used to attend acting lessons.
Being hit by a bus was unfortunately not the only near-death experience the actor encountered.
He was also hit by a car when he was eight and stabbed by a stranger in a bar fight while
out with the actor Vince Vaughn in 2001. On the matter Buscemi said,
“I came close to death..that was probably the closest I've been”
Could all these misfortunes have something to do with the fact that the actor was born
on Friday the 13th... the most unlucky day of the year? Well, it depends on how superstitious
you are...
Buscemi comes from humble beginnings far rooted in wealth. He grew up in New York, his father
worked in sanitation and his mother was a hostess. They lived in a tiny apartment where
he shared a room with his 3 brothers, while his parents slept on a foldout bed. Growing
up in such a stressful environment, Buscemi’s sense of belonging turned into a sense of
survival.
To make both ends meet, he had to work as an ice-cream truck driver, a house mover,
and a gas station attendant. Not your so-called Hollywood jobs. But his father knew that his
son was destined for more and also needed direction in his life. So he made him take
the civil service exam when Steve was 18 years old. Soon after Buscemi was a New York firefighter.
Steve loved to help people, but he didn’t always feel as though he fit in with his fellow
firefighters. He knew deep down his love for acting would always be greater than his love
for firefighting. So, while he fought flames by day he extinguished hearts by night as
he performed at improv clubs and went for auditions in his spare time.
Buscemi’s father was aware of his son's true calling and suggested he use his $6000
compensation money to take acting classes. Buscemi has been an incredible actor from
the moment he started and it wasn’t long until he landed the lead in the Bill Sherward
film, Parting Glances. A role that convinced Steve to quit his job as a firefighter to
pursue his one true professional love. It didn’t take long until producers and directors
fell in love with the actor and he quickly became the villain everyone wanted in their
movies.
Buscemi paid attention to his crooked teeth when he saw himself on the big screen for
the first time. But, he absolutely refused to have them fixed. Buscemi has said that
he knew his teeth gave him an edge if he did something to change it, it could lead to the
end of his career.
He’s not wrong, look at what happened to Dirty Dancing’s Jennifer Grey when she fixed
her nose. The actress herself regretted that decision saying it made her invisible in Hollywood
and totally ruined her career.
Now some actors make a show of their modesty, but for Buscemi, modesty is something that
comes naturally. Once he made it in Hollywood, his circumstance changed, but his attitude
towards himself didn't. Buscemi explained that when he directed an episode of The Sopranos
all he could think of was,
“Oh my God. I don’t belong here. Why would they listen to me?”.
The night Buscemi won a SAG award, a fellow co-star wanted to introduce him to the cast
of a popular TV show. Even though Buscemi won one of the biggest awards of the night
and should have felt invincible, he was still too nervous to talk to the cast. Fearing that
they might find him too hard to talk to him.
Has playing such a wide range of characters affected the way Buscemi sees himself? When
talking about his characters Buscemi said "I like the struggles that people have, people
who are feeling like they don't fit into society, because I still sort of feel that way."
Although Buscemi might not see himself as a hero, many would disagree. After the horrible
events of 9/11 unfolded, Steve wasted no time putting his skills and knowledge to good use.
Even though at the time, it had been almost 20 years since the actor had done any work
for the fire department. Regardless he helped the brigade sort through the wreckage in hopes
of finding survivors, working almost 12 hours at a time. He did however have one stipulation…
he didn’t want it to be advertised, ever. Even when people wanted to take photos with
him he declined.
When a photo emerged a decade later, Buscemi admitted in an interview that a part of helping
out during those five days was a coping mechanism for him. During that time he experienced anxiety
and depression. With an overwhelming sense of not knowing where to be and what to do,
he needed to find a way to fight through it.
“I went there to help and they ended up helping me.”
By now we know that acting and firefighting were two major loves in his life. Even though
at times they left him feeling like an outsider. There was however one other love, the biggest
one of them all, that never made him feel like he doesn’t belong.
In 1983 Buscemi met the love of his life Jo Andres who lived just across the street from
him. Andres was slightly older and already renowned in the performance-art world and
it took one look for Buscemi to develop a crush on her. He would continuously rush out
of his apartment at the same time as Jo, hoping he’d accidentally run into her. He was continuously
doing so until they eventually met and it wasn’t long after before the two became
an item. Talk about the ultimate meet-cute.
Buscemi who was used to feeling like an outsider admitted that it was his wife who helped shape
the confidence he has today.
“I was very shy, I would look around...and see all these cool-looking people and felt
like I could not fit in.”
Jo became a huge influence in Buscemi’s life, she helped him understand what is possible
within himself. She taught an anxious and analytical man how to tap into his intuitive
side and showed him how to trust himself more. So much so that he went on to play characters
that have shaped cinematic history.
Buscemi was about to comfortably enter his icon era in 2015 before the most precious
woman of his life was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Although she went through chemotherapy
and was in remission for a while, the cancer came back with vengeance in 2017. The artist
and choreographer passed away in January 2019. In an interview with GQ magazine, Buscemi
admitted with a catch in his voice that the pain of the cancer was the hardest thing for
her to go through.
“People who are going through that, it’s painful. It’s painful to die from cancer.
There’s just no way around it.”
Although Buscemi lost his wife he knew she was still watching him from above. Just after
her passing, he honored her in a speech to the National Association of Theater Owners.
“You know, this business can be a challenge to relationships, but you stick it out and
there are rewards and I am so grateful to her. She was my biggest supporter, and also,
audience and my biggest inspiration.”
Buscemi went through the darkest time of his life with days where he felt like he was drowning.
Whenever he had to leave the house for work he would be overwhelmed with a sense of distress,
being so far from home. This makes sense as the actor and his late wife’s number one
rule was to never be more than three weeks apart from each other.
A year after his wife’s death Buscemi has found a way to keep her close to him as he
tried to collect, preserve, and archive her life’s work. Giving her something back after
the life she gave him. After spending more than 30 years together, the actor admitted
that he never really thought what it would be like to not have her around. He hopes that
this is a way to keep her close.
Despite the lingering effects of his devastating loss, Buscemi felt a bit of hope by seeing
communities come together to support one another amid the coronavirus health crisis.
“If it was another personal thing, I think that would be hard. But the fact that everybody’s
going through it doesn’t feel as isolating. It feels like it’s something that we’re
doing together.”
Seems as though Steve Buscemi has managed to find a way to see the light at the end
of the tunnel. Despite now having to walk without the solace that always made him feel
as though he belongs.