Woody Allen To Pimp in 'Fading Gigolo'

A recent article from indiewire.com listed Woody Allen to star in the upcoming John Turturro film Fading Gigolo.

The film title pretty much sums up the plot. Fading Gigolo was written by, will be directed by, and star John Turturro as an aging gigolo in New York City. Woody Allen has recently jumped on board to play Turturro’s out-of-luck friend and amateur pimp.

In a recent interview with the LA Times, Turturro said “It’s a genre you don’t see much of, and when you do, maybe with the exception of Midnight Cowboy, you only really see women as the hookers. Why not men?”

Apparently, Turturro was able to get Woody Allen involved by way of his barber. During a visit, he talked with the barber about his upcoming project and the barber later told Allen, another client. Not only did the actor eagerly contact Turturro about playing his pimp, but also helped edit and rewrite sections of the script.

As for Turturro’s female clients, names such as Modern Family‘s Sofia Vergara, Vanessa Paradis and Sharon Stone have already been added to the cast. Liev Schreiber‘s is amongst them.

It’ll be more than interesting to see what the duo of John Turturro and Woody Allen can bring to the table. While Allen has a slew of titles to his name – some better than others – Turturro only has three. We’ll see how he shapes up behind the camera, as his other features have lingered under the radar in spite of his hefty acting resume.

Fading Gigolo will begin shooting later this fall and, so far, has a 2013 release date.

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top