Esposito and John Turturro star in ‘The Only Living Pickpocket in New York,’ in theaters Oct. 16
Credit: Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Giancarlo Esposito and John Turturro speak to PEOPLE at the Toronto International Film Festival about their crime thriller, Noah Segan’s The Only Living Pickpocket in New York
- “I’m learning how to enjoy myself,” shares the busy Esposito
- The father of four has learned the importance of having fun thanks to parenthood: “I’ve worked so hard all my life and now I’m raising kids,” he says
Giancarlo Esposito is savoring — and balancing — the good things in life.
Speaking to PEOPLE at the Toronto International Film Festival, where his new movie The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (in theaters Oct. 16) premiered on Sept. 16, the Emmy nominee reflects on balancing work with raising four daughters.
“There’s a moment in the film that I really love,” says Esposito, 68, of writer-director Noah Segan’s crime thriller. In the scene, John Turturro‘s pickpocket Harry begins dancing with “his wife who’s incapacitated in a chair,” he explains, “a moment of true joy.”
“That moment really helps me because I’ve worked so hard all my life and now I’m raising kids,” says Esposito, who shares daughters Shayne, Kale, Syr and Ruby with ex-wife Joy McManigal.
Credit: ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty
“I always thought I was overwhelmed, to get something done, to do something, but now I’m learning how to enjoy myself,” he shares. “And so this moment in this movie reminded me of, ‘Oh, don’t forget to have fun.’”
Parenting has been a continuous source of learning for Esposito, he notes. “My kids have taught me that I am ‘fire,’” he quips when asked about keeping up with their generation’s slang. “My daughter goes, ‘Papa, you’re fire.’ I’m like, ‘What does that mean?’”
“That’s perfect for him,” quips Turturro, 69. “She’s right.”
“I think so. I don’t know,” says Esposito. “I have four daughters and I love the experience of each and every one of them. And they taught me to listen and to love in a different way and to see the world in a different way. A lot of it is through their eyes.”
“Being a parent is a humbling experience because we don’t go to school to teach you about parenting,” says Turturro, who shares daughter Arianna and son Diego with his wife, actress Katherine Borowitz. “You learn as it goes on that they’re separate individuals and they’re beautiful in their own way. And it’s a learning experience and it really does broaden you as a person.”
Credit: Sony Pictures Classics
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, costarring Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, Victoria Moroles, Steve Buscemi and Jamie Lee Curtis, follows Turturro’s aging pickpocket and Esposito as the detective on his tail. The characters navigate a modern New York City that no longer resembles the home they previously knew.
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Esposito has had a remarkably busy 2026, appearing on the small screen in The Boys and The Gentlemen and on the big screen in Kill Me, 7 Dogs, By Any Means (in theaters now) and Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (in theaters Oct. 9).
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is in theaters Oct. 16.
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