8. John Turturro Cast His Own Cousin In A Nude Role For A Movie He Wrote & Directed
Creepiness Rating: 6/10 John Turturro is one of those actors who randomly pops up in random movies in random roles, almost as a way of reminding you that he isn't dead. Whilst most people know that Turturro sort of creeps them out a bit (he's just one of those actors), not many people know that John Turturro's cousin is one Aida Turturro, the actress who plays Janice - Tony's sister - in The Sopranos. The two are super close, and Cousin John was also responsible for kick-starting her career back in the day. Unfortunately, there's a weird story to go alongside this tale of family love, and it goes like this: whilst making the low-budget film Illuminata, which was written, directed and starred Turturro himself, the actor decided to give his cousin a part. In a move that can only be described as "super creepy," though, he opted to cast Aida as a character who appears on screen and fondles her naked breasts for close to half a minute whilst an old man watches. This is strange when you consider they're related. Like, by blood. Also: John Turturro was in charge of Illuminata. He actually wrote the part of the breast-fondling woman and gave it to his cousin. It has to be the downright strangest act of nepotism to have ever occurred.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
