The 1986 role Steve Buscemi crowned the best of his life: “It’s one of the most interesting parts I’ve played”

In what was only his third credit ever in a feature, Buscemi played the role of Nick in writer and director Bill Sherwood’s 1986 drama Parting Glances. Rather than asking Buscemi to embody a familiar archetype, Parting Glances gave him the chance to play someone whose wit, vulnerability and defiance all existed simultaneously. When asked which of his own credits he holds dearest as the best of the bunch, Buscemi didn’t waste any time coming up with an answer. “I still have a lot of affection for Parting Glances, where I played a rock musician who had AIDS,” he said to The Guardian. Still, it’s been almost 40 years since Parting Glances was released, and yet it remains at the top of his personal pile.