Steve Buscemi had an interesting story to share on Wednesday night during his guest appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
The Fargo star went on the late-night talk show to promote season 2 of the hit Netflix series Wednesday, where he plays Principal Barry Dort, and how intimidated he was at first joining the cast. He also discussed what it was like reading the script for the Apple TV show The Studio, working with golfer John Daly on Happy Gilmore 2 and his first day on set directing The Sopranos.
One of the topics discussed during the segment was how Buscemi pronounces his name. When the 67-year-old actor discussed his cameo in The Studio, he mentioned the scenes where the cast struggled to pronounce his last name. He explained that the Italian pronunciation is “Boo-shemi” but he never grew up saying it that way.
“Growing up, we said ‘Bue-semi,’ which I can’t even do that anymore,” the actor said. He tends to say his last name like “boo” and “semi,” combining the two pronunciations. He joked with Fallon, “I don’t know how to say my own name!”
Buscemi also revealed that when he was starting his career as a stand-up comedian, he performed with the last name “Buce,” pronounced “byoos,” which made Fallon laugh.
Before his acting career took off and he was working as a firefighter, Buscemi performed in the New York comedy scene in the 1970s and early 1980s.
“You can imagine the fun the emcees had with that,” the actor smiled.
The actor also recalled that Larry David once served as the emcee at one of his early shows — though he doubts David would remember it.
“You know that Larry David introduced me when I auditioned for The Improv; he was the MC,” Buscemi recalled. “And I got to work with [David] for many, many years.”
Fallon asked if he thinks that the Curb Your Enthusiasm star would remember, which Buscemi quickly replied, “Of course not! No reason he should.”
Buscemi’s breakout role came as Mr. Pink in the 1992 film, Reservoir Dogs, which led him to star in many movie hits of the 1990s, including Fargo, The Big Lebowski and Con Air. He also earned acclaim on television with his roles in The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire, winning a Golden Globe and multiple SAG awards. He also got his hand in directing with the film Trees Lounge and the Emmy-winning web series Park Bench.
On top of his role in Wednesday, Buscemi has several upcoming projects, including his starring role in Martin McDonagh’s film Wild Horse Nine and will be serving as an executive producer for an upcoming documentary that looks at the lives of paramedics.
Fans can watch both parts of Season 2 of Wednesday on Netflix, which also stars Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Lady Gaga, Isaac Ordonez, Emma Myers and Joy Sunday.
Related: Iconic Filmmaker Tim Burton Makes Surprising Personal Admission About Lady Gaga
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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