Michael Gandolfini is the son of James Gandolfini. His father was best-known for play Tony Soprano on The Sopranos. As a result, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that Michael Gandolfini will be playing a younger Tony Soprano on a prequel called The Many Saints of Newark. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Michael Gandolfini:
1. Son of James Gandolfini
As stated, Gandolfini is the son of James Gandolfini, with whom he seems to have had a very close relationship. In fact, the two were out on a trip to celebrate Gandolfini graduating from the eighth grade when James Gandolfini got a heart attack after spending a day sightseeing out in the hot sun. Apparently, it was Gandolfini who came upon his unconscious father in their hotel room, which prompted him to call the hotel reception for help.
2. Seems to Have Been a Sports Fan
When Gandolfini was younger, he seems to have been a sports fan. After all, there were numerous pictures of him with his father at basketball games. Furthermore, his social media presence included some pictures related to hockey as well. Of course, it is rather difficult to get an accurate assessment of someone’s personality based on just some pictures, meaning that this is something that interested individuals might want to take with a few grains of salt.
3. Has a Sister
Gandolfini was the product of James Gandolfini’s first marriage with Marcy Wudarski, which lasted from March of 1999 to December of 2002. Later on, James Gandolfini got married a second time to an ex-model turned actress named Deborah Lin, with whom he had a second child named Liliana Ruth Gandolfini in 2012. As a result, Gandolfini has a sister, though the two are separated by more than a decade when it comes to age.
4. His Father Didn’t Want Him to Become an Actor
As a child, Gandolfini developed some interest in acting because he was very impressed by a production of Wicked. However, his father seems to have been less than enthused at the thought of Gandolfini following in his footsteps. Apparently, James Gandolfini told his son at one point in time to become a director rather than an actor because it was the directors who had the power. Besides that, James Gandolfini also seems to have expressed some interest in seeing his son play sports instead.
5. His Father’s Death Sent Him Into Acting
It was James Gandolfini’s death that sent Gandolfini into acting. To be exact, one of Gandolfini’s friends suggested that he take some acting classes as a way to help him heal. In that regard, the acting classes were very successful. Furthermore, the acting classes made Gandolfini realize that he had a genuine enjoyment of acting, so much so that he decided to quit the football club in preference for joining up with the drama club.
6. His First Role Was On The Deuce
Gandolfini’s first professional role was the first professional role that he ever auditioned for. As a result, when he managed to get it, his manager made the joke that he should quit then and there so that he would have a perfect record when it came to getting acting roles. In any case, Gandolfini’s first role was on The Deuce, which is a semi-fictional drama on HBO set in a time when the porn industry was becoming a legitimate institution with much wider acceptance from U.S. society than ever before.
7. Never Watched The Sopranos Before Being Chosen to Play Tony Soprano
As such, Gandolfini was a natural choice to play a younger Tony Soprano in the prequel called The Many Saints of Newark. However, before he could do so, he had to watch The Sopranos for the first time because he needed to get an idea of the character that he would be playing. Before that, Gandolfini had never watched The Sopranos, which is why the whole thing turned out to be a rather emotional experience for him. Something that was particularly true because he watched the series on his own.
8. Mentioned Two Scenes that Resonated with Him
When asked about scenes from The Sopranos that resonated with him, Gandolfini mentioned two of them. One was a scene in which his father’s character told his in-series daughter Meadow “You know I love you, right?,” while the other was a scene in which his father’s character told his in-series son A.J. that he couldn’t have asked for a better son when apologizing after having yelled at him.
9. Set to Play Tony Soprano in 1960s Newark
Those who are curious about The Many Saints of Newark should know that Gandolfini will be playing Tony Soprano in the Newark, NJ of the 1960s. Moreover, the marketing for the prequel has mentioned the 1967 Newark Riots, which were one of the 159 race riots that occurred throughout the United States in the Long Hot Summer of 1967. In short, a combination of deindustrialization with suburbanization meant that Newark had become a majority-black city controlled by white politicians. Unfortunately, this combined with widespread discrimination as well as a lack of opportunities for education and employment to produce massive dissatisfaction, which at last boiled over when rumors spread of a black man who had been beaten to death while in police custody.
10. Involved in The Boy, the Dog, and the Clown
The Many Saints of Newark isn’t the only project that Gandolfini is involved with at this point in time. Besides it, he is involved with two other projects listed on IMDB, with one being a movie called The Boy, the Dog, and the Clown. In short, it seems to be focused on a boy grieving the loss of his father learning magic from a sad clown, which he must use to save himself when he gets lost in the woods.
Follow Us
