Interview: ‘The Only Living Pickpocket in New York’ Filmmaker Noah Segan Chats About Making His Wonderful Movie

Noah Segan has truly outdone himself with The Only Living Pickpocket in New York. The actor, probably best known as Kid Blue in Rian Johnson‘s Looper, turned writer and director, has one of the films of 2026 in this wonderful character study. The movie, centered on a towering turn from John Turturro, has been impressing audiences since its debut at the Sundance Film Festival. I saw it at an early screening prior to the Telluride Film Festival and was thoroughly blown away. When I met Segan at Telluride, we instantly vibed as well, making a formal interview 100% inevitable. Earlier this week, we finally made it happen. Today, as the flick is about to hit theaters, our conversation comes your way…

In my rave review of The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (here) from back at Telluride, I spoke of Segan’s work like so:

Writer/director Noah Segan has crafted something terrific here, showcasing tremendous filmmaking chops. Segan shoots New York City in a way that native New Yorkers will really appreciate, while keeping the pacing ruthlessly efficient. I’d have spent three hours with Turturro’s Harry, so this running a brisk 88 minutes is a rare beast. Segan’s writing is profound, giving everything a lived in feel, while his direction has a confidence that suggests excellent things to come.

Below, you can hear my chat with Segan. I was eager to hear about how this idea first came to him and how it developed, as it’s a real old fashioned New York set character study. The city itself comes into play in our discussion, as does how he managed to land Turturro (as well as other cast members like Steve Buscemi and Giancarlo Esposito). Other parts of the conversation include the reactions to the film on the festival circuit, as well as how enjoyable it has been to talk to people about it all year long. We also discuss the ending a bit, spoiler-free, but just keep that in mind in case you want to go in completely blind to this flick. Segan is wonderful, and so too is The Only Living Pickpocket in New York. Make it your business to see this movie. Trust me, you’ll be glad that you did.

Here now is my interview with The Only Living Pickpocket in New York filmmaker Noah Segan. Enjoy:

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York begins its theatrical run this weekend!