Robert Iler, known best for playing angsty mob son Anthony Soprano Jr. on HBO’s crime dramedy The Sopranos, has officially gone on the record with the truth: He’s been Italianfishing us all along.
Iler told comedian and actor Dan Soder (Billions) on the latest episode of his eponymous podcast that — gasp! — he isn’t an Italian-American like his character, he’s actually an Irish-American. And while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, he claims that he has left fans flabbergasted by that fact.
“I’ve seen people’s heart break when they found out that I wasn’t Italian,” Iler told Soder. “I’ve seen people who are like, full Jersey’d out, and they’re like, ‘Bro! Me and my family would get together, we’d make gabagool, we’d all sit around the TV and watch you guys. And then somebody else would be like, ‘Yeah, you know he was the only one who wasn’t Italian on the show.’
Soder cracked up as Iler continued, saying that he’s had to explain to disgruntled fans that he comes from a family that eats less spaghetti and more potatoes. Unlike Iler, the rest of The Sopranos cast featured loads of Italian-Americans, including James Gandolfini (Tony), Drea de Matteo (Adriana), Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Melfi), Michael Imperioli (Christopher) and Edie Falco (Carmela).
Shortly following his time on The Sopranos, Iler retired as an actor and became a professional poker player in Las Vegas, where he still resides today.
