The homeless New Yorker who found fame and famous friends acting in more than 100 American movies, has told TheSouthern about his “wonderful” trip to the Borders, where he spent much of the weekend talking to ghosts.
‘Radioman’ was visiting the region to promote a documentary about him by film director Mary Kerr, who grew up near Jedburgh. After the Scottish premier of Radioman at Galashiels’ Pavilion Cinema on Sunday night, “Hollywood’s dirtiest film star” and the 31-year-old Jed filmmaker hosted a question-and-answer session with a local audience.
“Everyone really enjoyed the Q&A in Galashiels,” Kerr said, where Radio kept people entertained by wearing a tam o’ shanter, doing Sean Connery impressions and mimicking the local accent.
About his four-day trip, Radio added: “I had a great time in Scotland. I wish I’d never left. I was awed by the old castles. You have so much history that we Americans should know about, but we don’t. People should come from other countries and experience it. It’s the real thing.”
Radio, aka Brooklyn-born Craig Castaldo, was able to indulge his curiosity in the spiritual world at Ferniehurst Castle on Friday, and Jedburgh’s Abbey and Jail on Saturday, guided by Mary and the documentary’s producer Paul Fischer.
“Jedburgh’s old abbey was crazy-spooky. I sensed ghosts there,” he said.
“He loved Jedburgh,” Mary added, “He had a chat with ghosts at Ferniehurst Castle.”
Sleeping overnight in the attic room, Radio swore he “saw something moving,” and “heard whimpering, like a child crying.”
He added: “I felt cold air on my cheeks like something touching me, but it was a friendly ghost. I conducted a seance. We held all our hands together to connect with the spirit. The candles flickered. I heard creaks and noises, and knocking from upstairs. The whole trip was just fabulous. I want to come back again.”
Castaldo overcame homelessness and addiction to become an unlikely movie legend, with cameo roles in Zoolander, Indiana Jones, The Bourne Trilogy, The Sopranos, and other films and TV shows. He earned his nickname from the radio he hung around his neck to deter thieves while sleeping rough, and now counts as his friends Whoopi Goldberg, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Sandra Bullock and many more film stars.
The documentary is billed as “the unbelievable story of an extraordinary eccentric”.
Comments