Why James Gandolfini ‘Drove’ Son Michael ‘Loopy’ on ‘The Sopranos’ Set

Michael Gandolfini might have grown up with a well-known father, however fame was by no means normalized in his family.

In an interview with The Wall Road Journal, the 25-year-old son of late Sopranos star James Gandolfini revealed why he was all the time pressured to observe his dad painting Tony Soprano from a distance as a child.

“After I’d go to him on the Sopranos set, I would hand around in his trailer,” stated Michael. “I had my very own little drawer of toys and issues to maintain me occupied. My dad and mom didn’t need me outdoors on set, uncovered to the present’s violence and language.”

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For Michael, having an understanding of “the concept of filmmaking” solely made his need to be a part of it even stronger.

“Being excluded on set drove me loopy. My dad and mom have been protecting and needed me to take pleasure in being a child,” he stated. “From my father’s perspective, if I used to be going to observe him into the enterprise, he needed me to find performing by myself.”

The Sopranos ran for six seasons, from January 1999 till June 2007. Six years after its finish, James died of a coronary heart assault on the age of 51 in June 2013.

Michael would finally go on to pursue performing, showing in initiatives like Daredevil: Born Once more and even enjoying a youthful model of Tony Soprano in the 2021 prequel movie, The Many Saints of Newark.

The position was one thing he advised The Wall Road Journal was “transformative” for extra causes than one.

“To play Tony as a teen, I needed to get a full sense of him, however I’d by no means watched an episode of The Sopranos. Going by the sequence to prep wasn’t like watching residence motion pictures,” he stated.

“Tony was a job, and there have been many layers to what my dad was doing with the character,” continued Michael.

In an interview with Leisure Tonight in February, Michael weighed in on the potential for a Sopranos prequel sequence.

Referencing present creator, David Chase, he stated, “Look, it is David’s universe. It is as much as David, finally. I do know that David’s engaged on another issues, not Sopranos associated, which might be thrilling.”

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Whereas he stated that he would “love” to work with Chase, 79, once more, he confessed, “I believe Tony’s most likely set to relaxation now for good,” additional including, “my guess could be, that character [has] now closed the e-book.”