Chazz Palminteri—writer/star of A Bronx Tale—plays the title character in Yonkers Joe, a con artist trying to care for his estranged son. While in Philadelphia recently for a production of A Bronx Tale, Palminteri spoke with Aroundphilly.com about Yonkers Joe, gambling and how he works on a role.
AP: Why are you attracted to playing gamblers like Yonkers Joe?
CP: They are on the edge, they are interesting. You never know what they are feeling. They are constantly battling between doing good and doing bad. That’s the drama. What’s interesting about an accountant? I like playing people battling with demons.
AP: You are often typecast in these roles. How did you differentiate Joe?
CP: He wasn’t a gangster, more of a mechanic. I found the loneliness, and sadness—his not wanting others around him.
AP: How did you find his humanity?
CP: He has an arc to him. He says things to his son that are devastating. It shows his honesty. When he understands his boy, he loves him. He’s lived his whole life alone. He’s thrust into a situation [caring for] a son with Down Syndrome. He’s lived inconspicuously, but he doesn’t want this responsibility.
AP: How did you work on your expressions—showing Joe’s anxiety without speaking?
CP: Rob [the director] and I talked about that. That’s something—I have to say—it’s something I can do. It’s not a technical thing. It’s that my face shows naturally that my mind is steps ahead. I bring the “tell” to the role. Sometimes the director brings it to you. I knew this guy and how to play him. Bob knew him well—Joe was based on his father. He had a shorthand to him. He always said Yonkers is figuring, thinking, eight steps ahead. He always knows if something is about to go down. How to score. These guys live to make a score. The interesting thing about these guys—they are so lonely, and so brilliant, but it’s something that you don’t want anyone to know how good you are because if they do, they won’t let you in the game.
AP: Do you bet on horses/play cards/shoot craps like Yonkers Joe does?
CP: Not a big gambler. I have a played craps, sure.
AP: So what are your hobbies?
CP: Hobbies? I write—not sure that’s a hobby. That’s what I do when I’m not acting or directing. I like to shoot pistols at a range. It’s relaxing. I love [watching] the Yankees and The Knicks.
AP: What research did you do for your character?
CP: Bob knew the character well—his father was Yonkers Joe—he knew the tricks with cards and dice and I worked on that for hours, and it added to the believability. I had a friend whose son had Down Syndrome and I talked to the father about how he felt about having a son, were there any embarrassing moments, etc. [I asked him] How did you feel when you introduced your son to someone?
AP: How did you work with Guidry and Lahti on the characters and their tense scenes together?
AP: We developed a great rapport with each other. Christine is really a great actor. Christine and I would play dice for real and we talked a lot. Tom lived with a kid with Down Syndrome for 2 months. He went to “school.” So many people think he had Down Syndrome.
AP: Do you prefer to act, write, or direct films? You executive produced this film—was that by attachment to the project, or did you raise cash?
CP: I was able to throw my ideas around in developing the story.
AP: Did you improvise any scenes in the film?
CP: No, most of it was written….it was pretty precise. Lines here and there.
AP: How did the project come to you?
CP: My agent called me and I read it.
AP: What did you like about filming in Vegas?
CP: Vegas—there is no other place like it. The amazing thing about Yonkers Joe is that the producers—Matt Othick who lives in Vegas, and John Gaughan who owns a casino there—are gamblers. They read the script and wanted to do it. They are artists who believe in the project. If you try to do what Joe does to cheat them they know how you’ll do it.
AroundPhilly Staff
