Steve Buscemi is opening up about his experience volunteering with the New York Fire Department on 9/11.
Prior to becoming an actor, the 63-year-old was a NYC firefighter in the early ‘80s.
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Following the terrorist attacks on September 11th, Buscemi made his way to Ground Zero to assist in recovery efforts after calling his former firehouse and not getting an answer.
"I was driven to the site that day, walked around for hours and then found my company, found Engine 55 working there," he said on Marc Maron’s “WTF Podcast”. "I asked if I could join them. I could tell they were a little suspicious at first, but I worked with them that day."
The “Fargo” star would go on to work 12-hour shifts alongside other first responders at the site.
While he hasn’t suffered physical side effects, the experience left him with PTSD.
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"I haven’t experienced any health issues, and I get myself checked out, but definitely…. Post traumatic stress? Absolutely," Buscemi added.
"I was only there for like five days, but when I stopped going and tried to just live my life again, it was really, really hard," he continued. "I was depressed, I was anxious, I couldn’t make a simple decision. All those things. It’s still with me. There are times when I talk about 9/11 and I’m right back there. I start to get choked up and I realize, ‘Ah, this is still a big part of me.’"
Buscemi is the executive producer of the new documentary Dust: The Lingering Legacy of 9/11, which centers on the ongoing health issues afflicting the firefighters who were at Ground Zero.
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