As an 18-year-old, he was looking for his path in life. He joined the New York Fire Department and before working on film sets, he went to fires with other firefighters. For some time, he combined work at the “Little Italy” fire station with “secret” acting lessons, which he took after work. Finally, after four years of combining two professions, he made a decision – he left putting out the fire and focused on his work as an actor.
But after 17 years he came back alone.
Steve Buscemi worked as a firefighter in the WTC ruins
Buscemi is reluctant to talk about how he volunteered to work in the WTC ruins. He doesn’t seek applause and doesn’t want to be a hero. He claims that anyone in his place would do the same.
The strongest feeling that came over me on September 11, 2001 was the sense of community. The next morning I took my old outfit, caught a taxi and reported to the brigade – he said in 2021 in a column for “”.
I worked in the ruins for less than a week, but it wasn’t until I returned home that I realized what had happened. (…) We were demolishing the rubble. From time to time, bags of bodies passed us, but we paid no attention to them. It was distracting. And the dust? It was tiring – powdered cement and god-only-knows-what else clogging the hood. It was faster to work without it. They said “this thing will probably kill us in 20 years.” Some it killed faster. (…) I was already using the help of a psychotherapist and it was a relief just to sit next to someone who understood, to whom I could tell about my feelings that were too devastating to work through – wrote Steve Buscemi.
His good friend died from his former branch in the WTC ruins. Working in this place left the actor with deep wounds in his soul:
I was only there for five days, but returning to normal life after that was very, very difficult. I was depressed, anxious, and unable to make any decisions. When I talk about 9/11 now… I feel like I’m there again. I start choking again and I see that it’s already a part of me, Buscemi said in an interview with CBS.
He was lucky that working in the rubble did not leave any marks on his body. The first people working at the disaster site began to die after just a few months as a result of exposure to carcinogenic and harmful dust. “I don’t have any health problems, I’m undergoing tests. But I undoubtedly have post-traumatic stress disorder,” the actor recalled.
Steve Buscemi worked on behalf of firefighters for years after 2001. He lobbied for free psychological help and, when asked, always talked about their dedication and work.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
