Former American actor Robert Iler will always be remembered for one role in particular. He played A.J. Soprano, son of the most legendary mafia boss in television history, on HBO’s hit show The Sopranos. Iler’s performance was nothing short of genius, especially considering the complexity and darkness of his character.
Iler did an extraordinary job of bringing A.J. to life. Audiences all over the world connected to him, even when he was a spoiled brat and a privileged, wealthy boy. That’s all thanks to the incredible talent and skill that Iler has. But what do you really know about the former actor? Here are seven things you didn’t know.
1. Robert Iler Retired From Acting After The Sopranos Ended
Iler retired from acting shortly after The Sopranos ended. He was only 12 years old when he landed the iconic role of A.J. in The Sopranos. By the time the show ended, he was already a young man with a role that was larger than life. While most fans expected him to embrace his newfound fame and continue building his career, Iler surprised everyone by choosing another path. He moved to Las Vegas to pursue a career as a professional poker player. Although there were talks about him returning to Hollywood, Iler hasn’t done any major projects since he retired.
2. He Started Acting When He Was 10
Despite what many people think, The Sopranos wasn’t Iler’s first gig. He actually started acting at the ripe age of 10 when he got cast in the video for Marilyn Manson‘s single Dope Hat. Some other projects included Pizza Hut commercials and Saturday Night Live before he got his big break as A.J. Soprano.
3. He Is a Professional Poker Player
One of the lesser-known facts about Robert Iler is that he’s no longer an actor. He’s a professional poker player who participated in both official and unsanctioned games in Las Vegas. Reportedly, he has been playing poker since he was young when his grandmother taught him the rules of the game.
Since then, poker has been a major part of his life, from playing with friends to throwing some dice with his co-stars. The reason why Iler loves playing poker for a living? Freedom. He explained, “You go play poker, and there are no rules. You can come whenever you want, sit wherever you want, play whatever game you want, and leave whenever you want. Since I’d been acting since I was six years old, I think that’s what was so attractive to me about poker.”
4. He Is a Podcast Host
Poker is not the only way Iler makes a living, he’s also a podcast host. In fact, he jumped into podcasting with his The Sopranos co-star and onscreen sister, Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Their podcast Pajama Pants recently ended, but it was a huge success, especially among the fans of the show.
5. He Has Never Watched the Entirety of The Sopranos
Another interesting thing about Iler is that he has never watched the entirety of The Sopranos. He recently confessed that he hasn’t seen about 80% of the show. He explained, “I grew up on that set, and it was very anti-Hollywood. It wasn’t like, ‘We want Insta followers’ and all this. [It was more like], ‘We don’t want to look – we don’t want to see ourselves!’ I fell in line with everyone else.”
6. Robert Iler Struggled With Substance Abuse
After The Sopranos ended, Iler got addicted to alcohol and drugs. It all happened roughly at the same time as his career as a professional poker player. “I have not been drunk in over seven years, and hardcore drugs is also seven years,” Iler said. “But I was taking Xanax every day, and it took to me a long time to get off Xanax, and I had to go see a specialist, so that has been five years.” He struggled with substance abuse for years before finally getting sober in 2013. He is now clean.
7. Robert Iler Is of Irish Descent
One of the most interesting things about Iler is that he’s of Irish descent. He’s one of the few actors from The Sopranos who’s actually not Italian-American in real life. Other than Iler, other cast members who were not of Italian descent were Jamie-Lynn Sigler (Meadow), David Proval (Richie Aprile), and Jerry Adler (Hesh).
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