Steve Buscemi Awarded Key To The City From Mayor

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Longtime Park Sloper Steve Buscemi almost couldn't believe it Tuesday when Mayor Bill de Blasio awarded him a key to the city.

But there was one detail that tipped off the actor, who is known for his skill at playing villains.

"This is not a movie — this is real, right?" Buscemi asked the mayor. "If this was a movie ,my character would not be getting a key to the city. He’d be stealing a key to the city."

De Blasio, who has been friends with Buscemi since his days running for City Council, pointed to that at-times devious acting career when bestowing Buscemi the honor at his press conference on Tuesday.

But he also highlighted Buscemi's off-screen heroism, whether it be his time as an FDNY firefighter or his work helping New York City after September 11 and Hurricane Sandy.

"I have been moved by not only the friendship I have experienced, but the love he feels for so many people in this city particularly our first responders," de Blasio said.

Buscemi — known for roles on "Boardwalk Empire" or "Fargo" — was born in Brooklyn and has lived in Park Slope since his son was born in 1990. The actor has long been a staple of the neighborhood, most recently when he dressed as his own "30 Rock" character to hand out candy on Halloween

He also served as a firefighter with Engine Company 55 in Little Italy in the 1980s before launching his acting career.

Buscemi noted his family's connections to the city, including his dad's job as a sanitation worker, his brother Kenneth's career with the MTA and his brother Michael's role as the "unofficial mayor of Red Hook."

"This is such an incredible honor," Buscemi said Tuesday. "I never could have imagined in a million years that I would receive this honor and one day I would count the mayor of the city of New York as a friend."

The actor is the latest Brooklynite to be given a key to the city by de Blasio as he finishes his tenure.

Last week, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer and legendary director Spike Lee were given the honor. De Blasio also awarded music mogul and Brooklynite Clive Davis a key to the city in November.