Apollo Robbins Taught John Turturro to Steal for the Movies

A Pickpocket's Guide to New York

Preparing to play an old-school thief in Noah Segan's film "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York," John Turturro trained with Apollo Robbins, the Vegas entertainer once known as "the gentleman thief" who famously emptied the pockets of Jimmy Carter's Secret Service detail. Robbins coached him in moves like "reefing the kick" and "peeking the poke," and explained why baggy jeans are good for business. Turturro came to see the craft as a kind of acting.