John Turturro backs Oscar push and confirms Severance return at Zurich
John Turturro will return for Season 3 of Severance and will back a best-actor campaign for his new pickpocket drama.
He gave both updates at the Zurich Film Festival on Sunday, Sept. 27, the morning after collecting the festival's Golden Eye award at a ceremony on Saturday night, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
The honour recognised his lead performance in Noah Segan's The Only Living Pickpocket in New York. Turturro plays Harry, a seasoned pickpocket whose tightly controlled life is thrown off course when a job goes wrong. The story unfolds over 36 hours.
Asked in Zurich about entering the best-actor Oscar race — the annual campaign by studios and filmmakers seeking Academy Award nominations — Turturro was direct. He said he had never "gone the whole hog" on an awards campaign. He would support this film as its lead because he loves it.
That answer carries weight. Variety noted on Sept. 6 that Turturro has waited 40 years for an Oscar nomination. His appearance in Zurich had been trailed in advance, with Deadline reporting on Sept. 8 that he would accept the Golden Eye in person on Sept. 26.
He also settled a question for television fans. Turturro confirmed he will be back as Irving Bailiff in Season 3 of Severance. In the show, Christopher Walken's Burt Goodman began a romance with Irving in Season 1. Turturro said he had requested Walken as his love interest before he agreed to join the series. He wants that story to continue.
The Sunday masterclass conversation was led by Deadline's Melanie Goodfellow. It was part of a busy closing weekend in Zurich.
The festival's public centre is on Sechselaeutenplatz, according to the Zurich Film Festival. Its Sunday, Sept. 27 programme included a ZFF Masters session with Naomi Watts at 01:00 PM, the European premiere of Babies at 08:45 PM with Anna Kendrick in attendance, and a screening of The Weight at 08:45 PM starring Ethan Hawke as Samuel Murphy. In Babies, Kendrick plays Annie opposite Seth Rogen as Aaron. Watts, whose breakthrough came in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive in 2001, is among this year's Green Carpet guests alongside Julianne Moore, Tom Hiddleston, Olivia Colman and Andy Garcia.
For fans, this means two things to watch. A full awards push would put Turturro in the busiest acting race of the season. And Irving's story is not finished yet.
