Steve Buscemi on His Last Name Pronunciation

In a recent chat, 67-year-old actor Steve Buscemi opened up about the frequent mispronunciation of his last name. It seems there’s a bit of a mix-up, as Buscemi humorously admits he himself isn’t exactly sure how to say it correctly.

“Growing up, we said ‘Bue-semi,'” he explained, but added that the debate over the right pronunciation has gotten a bit out of hand lately. It’s almost comical. He mentioned this after appearing on the Apple TV+ series The Studio, where he poked fun at how no one seemed to know how to pronounce his name.

During his appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Buscemi quipped about some of the variations he’s heard, saying someone even called him “Brush Chemi,” like a type of pasta. He expressed his preference: “I like ‘Boo-shemi.’ That’s how it’s said in Italy, but I didn’t really grow up that way.” Nowadays, he opts for “boo-semi” and admits, “I take a bit from each of them.” It’s a bit of a tongue-twister, really.

Interestingly, Denzel Washington has also been in the spotlight for similar reasons. He revealed that fans have been pronouncing his name incorrectly throughout his career, due to some confusion from his mother. Washington clarified on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that, technically, it should be pronounced “Denzel,” with a clipped vowel sound.

While both actors have navigated their names’ pronunciations with humor, Buscemi, known for his roles in Fargo and Reservoir Dogs, is currently gaining recognition in the Netflix series Wednesday. “It’s exciting to be part of a show that resonates with people,” he noted, particularly mentioning how his kids are fans. This does seem to add a nice touch to his career, doesn’t it?