American actor Steve Buscemi has delivered a very Australian message to celebrate the New South Wales Fire Brigade Employees’ Union.
The Boardwalk Empire star, 63, who worked as a New York City firefighter in the ’80s before becoming an actor, praised NSW firefighters in a video that resurfaced online this week – before showing his solidarity by doing a ‘shoey’.
The phrase ‘doing a shoey’ is an Australian slang term referring to the act of drinking alcohol – usually beer – out of a person’s shoe.
Shoeys have become popular among Australian athletes performing on the world stage, with Formula 1 star Daniel Ricciardo recently celebrating his Italian Grand Prix victory by drinking beer out of his own shoe.
Buscemi told fans he knows how tough it can be to battle infernos in NYC, but that Australian fighters inevitably have it much tougher – especially in bushfire season.
‘Being a city dweller myself I have no idea what it’s like battling bushfires,’ he said.
He’s true blue! Steve Buscemi, 63, supported New South Wales firefighters by doing a shoey filled with Foster’s Lager and Vegemite in a viral video that resurfaced this week
‘I only know that it’s extremely unpredictable and dangerous and, as we know, there is no such thing as a routine fire: no matter how experienced you are, you can find yourself in a tough spot in the blink of an eye.’
Buscemi went on to criticise the New South Wales government for failing to give its firefighters a generous enough pay increase in 2020.
Finishing off his video with a bang, the Reservoir Dogs star took off his shoe and poured in a can of Foster’s Lager.
Homage to Australia: The Boardwalk Empire star, who worked as a New York City firefighter in the 1980s before becoming an actor, praised New South Wales firefighters for their hard work before pouring a can of lager into his own shoe
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What could be more Australian than that? He then took a scoop of Vegemite and dropped it into the brew before gulping the whole thing down
He then took a scoop of Vegemite and dropped it into the brew before gulping the whole thing down.
It comes after Buscemi reflected on the trauma he faced while assisting with the clean-up at the World Trade Center site following the 9/11 terrorist attack.
He wrote in an essay for TIME magazine earlier this month: ‘It actually felt good to be there. I was on the site for less than a week, but it wasn’t until I got home that the magnitude of it all caught up with me.
Bottoms up! He then took a scoop of Vegemite and dropped it into the brew before gulping the whole thing down
‘I was already seeing a therapist, and though it was almost impossible to process the enormity of what had happened, just having someone with whom to sit with all the feelings was a consolation. It’s not something first responders usually get.’
However, he conceded that ‘announcing your vulnerability’ can be a difficult task, especially for those whose job it is to protect others.
Buscemi also urged people to ‘never forget’ what happened, particularly because the tragedy is still having a serious impact on people’s lives.
‘The magnitude of it all caught up with me’: It comes after Buscemi reflected on the trauma he faced while assisting with the clean-up at the World Trade Center site following the 9/11 terrorist attack. Pictured: Buscemi in the ’80s working as a New York City firefighter
Never forget: Buscemi also urged people to ‘never forget’ what happened, particularly because the tragedy is still having a serious impact on people’s lives. Pictured: Buscemi (circled) posing with fellow New York City fighters in the ’80s
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