John Turturro, Tatiana Maslany Created Raw Estrangement In ‘The Only Living Pickpocket In New York’ – Contenders L.A.

John Turturro and Tatiana Maslany said they kept their sole scene together in *The Only Living Pickpocket in New York* unrehearsed to capture the estrangement between their characters, Harry and his daughter. Turturro suggested blocking the scene but not rehearsing it, aiming to make their long separation feel raw; Maslany said the writing left room for the history between them.

The film follows Harry, a pickpocket who steals a flash drive linked to the mob and tries to recover it while pursued. Turturro studied pickpocketing with magician Apollo Robbins and said the film often keeps violence offscreen while showing its effects. He also drew on a past encounter with a police officer who pointed a gun at him for a confrontation in the film.