Hollywood A-lister had a real-life role in drama of 9/11
Is it true that Hollywood actor Steve Buscemi put his career on hold after the 9/11 attacks to become a firefighter? – R.
The short answer is yes, and no. Brooklyn-born Steve Buscemi became a New York firefighter in 1980, and served in the FDNY’s Engine Co. 55 in Manhattan’s Little Italy for four years.
However, he then turned his attention to acting, and his early roles included small parts in Parting Glances (1986) and 1988’s Slaves Of New York.
In 1990, he appeared in Miller’s Crossing, the first of five films he would make with the Coen Brothers, the others being The Hudsucker Proxy, Fargo, The Big Lebowski and The Man Who Wasn’t There.
However, he hit the big time with his role as Mr Pink in Reservoir Dogs.
The day after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, which claimed the lives of 343 firefighters, Buscemi turned up at his old fire station and volunteered his help.
For the next week he worked 12-hour shifts, digging through the rubble trying to find the bodies of missing firefighters, all the while refusing to do interviews or have his picture taken.
“It was a privilege to be able to do it,” he later said.
“It was great to connect with the firehouse I used to work with and with some of the guys I worked alongside. And it was enormously helpful for me because while I was working, I didn’t really think about it as much, feel it as much.
“It wasn’t until I stopped that I really felt the full impact of what had happened.”