In New York City, you might be lucky enough to spot an A-List celeb or two. But when busker, guitarist, and vocalist İzzet Can Karakoç hit Central Park for a live street set, he was shocked to discover that the stranger who approached him to sing a spontaneous Creedence Clearwater Revival duet was actually a ‘90s movie star!
Racking up more than 172,000 views to date, Music Man readers can watch the magic unfold in the video below…
We can’t blame İzzet for not realizing he was in the presence of a New York celebrity. Juliette Lewis – star of “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “Ma,” and “Natural Born Killers,” to name just a few of her feature roles – approaches him dressed down like an everyday person, not possessing a hint of the Hollywood glitz and glam we’ve come to expect from world-famous film stars.
In tracksuit bottoms, trainers, a white cat-patterned shirt and no make-up, Juliette stands beside İzzet to suggest a song she’d like to sing with him. Creedence Clearwater Revival’s career-defining hit, “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” comes to mind, and the pair promptly dive into their impromptu duet. Except, at this point, İzzet has no idea exactly who it is he’s about to sing with. Juliette reveals her first name, but not the surname marking her as a celeb.
While we all expect celebs to be perfect, Juliette brings expectations back down to earth with a shaky, pitchy start to her song. But before long, she’s slaying the hit as İzzet strums along on his clean-toned electric guitar, soon picking up the pace with embellished rhythms and laying his backing vocals behind Juliette’s lead lyrics.
Juliette Lewis fans will likely remember her from her decades’ worth of film and TV appearances. But this star hides a surprising talent for music, side-shooting away from her screen career to form a rock band, Juliette and The Licks, which hit the scene in 2003, releasing two mid-00s albums before disbanding in 2009. Despite a 2016 reunion tour, Juliette’s musical side remains a bit of a mystery to most who recognize her name, yet her Central Park duet with İzzet proves her passion for the arts in all its forms, and superwoman confidence, whether dressed up and ready for the occasion or not.
Only after their set drew to a close did İzzet realize who he was singing with. He reveals in his YouTube description, “This was one of those completely unplanned New York moments that reminds me why I love live music and street performance,” as fans flock to the comments section to share their love for Juliette’s realness.
As one viewer commented, “Juliette Lewis is so undervalued. She’s an excellent actress,” another wrote to the tune of more than 760 likes, “She’s in her early 50s but there’s still this childlike charm to her that you can see at the beginning. So cool. Love NYC for moments like this.”