John Turturro

The Capitale ballroom in New York was filled to the brim last week for the annual MOTH ball, with storytellers, raconteurs, and hundreds more, brought together by their shared passion to speak what’s on their mind. The MOTH was founded to revive the lost art of storytelling, hosting StorySLAM competitions, as well as releasing popular podcasts on iTunes. Their events in New York and L.A. have drawn the ranks of Margaret Cho, Gabriel Byrne, Candace Bushnell, Janeane Garofalo, Ethan Hawke, Moby, and Lili Taylor, among your average astronaut, politician, or fire fighter, hairdresser, gambler, or chef.

Lili Taylor was on hand herself to award the MOTHShop Scholarship, a $5000 prize to 10-year old Tavar Richardson, who broke down crying on the stage during her acceptance speech. Hoping to one day attend Brown, Tavar was thankful that the MOTH was investing in her future. It was an inspiring night that championed both the current and future storyteller, something that is important now more than ever in our age of technology.

The hilarious John Turturro, star of many a Coen brothers film, and most recently Transformers, hosted the evening. We spoke to John about the upcoming action sequel, which he calls “a great literary masterpiece,” what it was like to shoot on top of the Egyptian pyramids, and the best story he’s ever told.

Click here to read the full interview!