The Sopranos’ James Gandolfini ‘protected’ son from show as he steps into iconic role: ‘Tony Soprano was nothing more than a tired dad in a robe’
Tony Soprano actor James Gandolfini kept his son away from the realities of The Sopranos, Michael Gandolfini has revealed, as he revives his late father’s iconic character for a new film.
While the HBO series, which followed mob boss Tony as he attempted to balance his family life with his violent work life, became one of the most acclaimed series of all time, Michael has revealed he was very ‘sheltered’ from it all.
‘Tony Soprano was nothing more than a tired, sleepy dad in a robe,’ he recalled to Metro.co.uk as he stars in the prequel film The Many Saints of Newark.
‘That’s the only Tony Soprano I ever saw. I was on set and I grew up on set, spending time with Michael [Imperioli], and Robert [Iler] and Jamie-Lynn [Sigler] and everyone but I never saw them film. I’d see Tony walking to get the paper, or Tony eating cereal.
‘They kept me very sheltered from it and very protected from it and I think my dad wanted me to have the most normal life as possible with the scenarios. I really had no insight, I didn’t know Tony Soprano at all. I didn’t even know what the show was until I was about 13.
‘I was like, “What the hell is this thing that I’ve heard about my whole life?” He was like, “It’s about some guy that goes to therapy and he’s in the mob,” and I was like, “Alright!”‘
After his father’s death in 2013, Michael is carrying on his legacy as he steps into the role of a young Tony for the new film.
‘It was really about finding and meeting Tony, that was one of the incredible experiences of this process.’
‘There’s so many different layers,’ the 22-year-old added. ‘You have my dad’s legacy and you also have the fact that Tony Soprano is one of the most incredible, iconic characters ever, so to have the opportunity to play that is such a gift.
‘When I first started auditioning, I think I was focused a lot on the negatives, the fear and the pressure. But then I started to see the gift of playing one of the most complex characters ever.’
He’s certainly not ruling out returning to the character either, adding: ‘I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t say that I have fallen in love with Tony and it would be just a gift to play him as he gets older.’
We’re definitely on board with this.
The Sopranos aired for six gripping seasons from 1999 to 2007, with Gandolfini’s portrayal of the mob boss going down in TV history.
Meanwhile, The Many Saints of Newark shows us the character’s life before he started in the ‘family business’.
Young Tony is worlds away from the gangster he would become, vowing to stay away from a life of crime. However, it’s clear that’s not exactly destined to happen.
