It is the end of an era. That’s right folks, Boardwalk Empire is entering its last season, and after bringing audiences on a thrilling ride for the past four years, season five seems like it will close with a bang.
Boardwalk Empire, written by Terence Winter and produced by Martin Scorsese, follows crime boss Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi, as he rises to power in a country going through the Great Depression and the Prohibition era. Having had the chance to see the first episode of the final season, it is safe to say the season will be one of the most exhilarating. Just as the tagline says, “No one goes quietly.”
The first episode features flashbacks to young Nucky being picked on and bullied, just as the young Commodore (played by John Ellison Conlee) takes pity on him and allows him to work around the Corner Hotel. We continue to the present, taking place seven years after last season in 1931 where Chalky White is in jail just as Nucky is in Cuba trying to get rum into the states. If that was the first episode, imagine what can come next in the season.
The Source Magazine was on the red carpet for the New York premiere of the show’s Season 5 premiere hosted by HBO at Ziegfeld Theatre. Read our exclusive interviews with the cast of the show to see how they feel about the show’s end, and what’s next.
Ben Rosenfeld (Willie Thompson)
What was your fondest memory working on the show?
I think the whole big thing is one fond memory.
Can you reflect on the series and season finale?
I think it’s an amazing, in terms of a series as a whole, a unique show. I think it goes against the audience as this very cool show when you think about it. And this last season? I don’t know much about it so I’m excited to watch it.
John Ellison Conlee (Young Commodore Louis Kaestner)
Can you tell us about your fondest memory?
Well there’s so many of them but one, I think working with Marc Pickering, who played Nucky in sort of his later years. And he and I have had the conversation a number of times about how strange it is to play people that have been created by other actors. And I was doing a scene with him and I watched him – I almost got taken out of my skin because he sounds and is doing this so much like Steve, it was an obviously thrilling moment to watch another actor respectively do a character.
How has this experience been like for you?
It was such a thrill. I mean that character is so wonderful and strange and powerful and it was a really fun assignment to get to do and to get to follow up on what Dabney Coleman created. That’s a really fun assignment because sounding like him and trying to do that was really thrilling.
Do you have a final farewell for the show?
I loved this show. I can’t wait. Even as just a fan I can’t wait to see how it ends. And I will miss it very much.
Max Casella
How has this experience been like for you?
It was a great experience. It was a lot of fun, it was a wonderful experience. You know, you can do a lot of interesting things like being in the time period and get my throat cut at the end of it and it was fun. It was wonderful experience working with these great actors.
You’re also working with Terence Winter on a 70’s Rock show.
Yeah it’s an untitled HBO series about rock and roll. Bobby Cannavale is starring in it. It’s about a record label, a fictitious record label in the 1970s, and I play the head of the A&R department. I can’t tell you too much about it but it’s going to debut probably a year from now, give or take a month or two. My character Julie is a hotheaded but nurturing guy but very desperate – maybe worried about losing my job, because I’m not really signing anybody that good lately. Maybe I’m not as hip as I used to be and maybe I’m getting a little older than the people in my department. It’s a young man’s game you know, mostly guys in their early twenties. So basically desperate, so it’s a great fun thing for an actor to play – desperate and hanging onto his fingernails. It was a lot of fun.
Michael Stuhlberg
What was your fondest memory?
There’s so many it’s hard to choose. Getting the job is one of them. And then getting to keep the job for a number of years is great. Working with an amazing group of people. Working with Mr. Scorsese and Mr. Winter and Tim van Patten and you know, the other cast. I’ve been a lucky guy.
What’s your reflection on the series and the finale?
Well I’m curious to know what the finale will be. I have no idea, they don’t tell us anything. It’s bittersweet to be on the last day formally of what this whole thing has been. Because this whole thing has been a huge part of my life for five years and I’m going to miss it – I’m going to miss everybody.
How has the experience been like for you?
Fantastic. You know, I was a little reticent going into it but I bonded with Mr. Scorsese and Mr. Winters and all the great actors they pieced together that I was more than happy to jump in with them.
Louis Cancelmi
What was your fondest memory working on the show?
I don’t know if there’s one particular memory, but the whole cast is very fantastic … everybody is there, present. Whichever take, whether on camera or off, they’re really hardworking, and everything is always live. And the show on screen, everything’s live, everybody’s playing, they’re really there. And that’s what makes for an exciting film or movie.
How has the experience been like for you?
Wonderful. It’s a history of television, it’s a great event and I’m proud and honored to have been a part of it.
Can you reflect on the series?
It’s a big part of American history in terms of perspectives. A lot of HBO shows do that and it shows the criminal side and it shows the family side, and it even shows the civil rights struggle side. It shows the historical side and it’s really exciting and entertaining,
Michael Kenneth Williams
What was your fondest memory?
There’s so many. Steve Buscemi’s comedy. He’s very funny. I’m going to miss his jokes on set and his personality. Really fun to be around.
Did you expect it?
No I didn’t. I didn’t think he was as warm and friendly and comical as he was. He was a fun guy to be around.
You’ve seen him in comedic movies and you’ve seen him here in Boardwalk. Do you see him more as a dramatic actor or a comedy actor?
Steve Buscemi is a character actor, he can do anything he wants to do. There’s nothing that man can’t do I think.
Can you reflect on the show?
This whole show has been an experience for me. It’s a long journey. I’ve met some wonderful people, I’ve done some incredible work that I’m extremely proud of with some incredible people and I’m going to miss it – it was an era. And Boardwalk is probably going to go down as one of the highlights of my career.
How has this experience been like for you?
Great. You know, the fans, the sponsors we got from the dealers, and the progress that I’ve made. It’s been an incredible journey.
Do you have a final farewell?
(In song) I’m so glad we had this time together,
Just to laugh a while and sing songs
Things just get started before you know it
There’s a time we have to sing, so long.
Dominick Lombardozzi
What was your fondest memory?
My fondest memory is just really working with Steven Graham, it felt like family all the time. I would have to say just those moments when we’re in scene and you’re just not aware of what’s going on. It’s just that the day goes so fast, you know it’s hard to catch at those moments.
Can you reflect on the last season?
Last season has been fast tracked to when we’re playing in 1931 or 1932, end of prohibition. It’s sort of the end of the line for a lot of people and the beginning for other people. The different music, the different clothing – that was a great shock for me. I was going in for measurements and it would be a different kind of material, it wouldn’t be as heavy as it was as back in 1924. And I think it’s going to be a bit more brighter.
Do you have a final farewell?
I would just like to say goodbye to everybody and thank you for making me part of this family for the past seasons and I wish them all the best. I was a fan of the show before I came on it and it’s something I’ll always take with me.
Emily Meade
How has this experience been like for you?
It was by far the most amazing experience I have ever had. I’ve had other experiences but nothing ever the same as that. And every single person worked so hard on that show – the hardest I’ve ever worked – the longest hours I’ve ever worked. But you don’t feel frustrated about it because you see what you’re making and you get to work with Steve Buscemi and Steven Graham and everybody who worked on it – it really was a collaboration. It was really magical, it really was. And even the clothes – you were easily transported – and they’re all authentic and you can feel that energy in it.
Terry Winter (Creator)
What can we expect this last season?
We jump ahead to 1931, the depression is in full swing, prohibition is about to end, Chalky White goes to jail, Lucky Luciano rises to power, Nucky is sort of walking a razor’s edge, trying to stay alive throughout all this. We also flashback to a scene of him as a child so it gives some insight of who he is and how he became who he is now.
What about the new 70’s Rock show you’re making?
Yeah we wrapped production on the pilot about two weeks ago, Martin Scorsese directed it, Mick Jagger is one of the executive producers. It stars Bobby Cannavale, I wrote it. It starts in 1973 when pop is going hip hop and we’re all very excited. I was there but I was twelve. I was listening to Alice Cooper in Brooklyn.
A fabulous party continued at Cipriani 42nd Street. There was an actual Boardwalk on the far side of the venue, where guests posed for photos. We spotted Mack Wilds, the cast of “The Wire,” Questlove, “The Leftovers” cast members, Amber Tamblyn, Alia Shawkat and so many other stars at the elegant affair.
-Catherina Gioino
