Michael Gandolfini opens up about playing Tony Soprano in 'The Many Saints of Newark': 'It's the toughest decision I've had to make'

Yahoo.com ^ | September 2, 2021 | Ethan Alter

[Maceman]

For this who never saw the MADtv parody of the Sopranos, click the link below. It was hilarious, and the guy who played Tony did a brilliant job of capturing that character.

MADtv Sopranos on PAX TB

[Albion Wilde]

That said its the double standard I will be protesting- no eskimo pie, no aunt jemimiah, etc, etc but the Soprano’s is okay.

I still don't get your point. They are not mass-producing spaghetti sauce with a picture of a gangster on it. David Chase, an Italian-American, is telling a story based on his own point of view. How is that a double standard?

[mad_as_he$$]

LOL....very well done!

[No.6]

>”It’s probably the toughest decision I’ve ever had to make,” the 22-year-old actor confessed

That does warrant a confession. 22 and the most important decision in his life is who to lie as (dress up as and recite other people’s lines). What a rough life. Next we’ll get economic, scientific, and political advice from this grizzled sage.

[God luvs America]

But they massed produced a mini-series for years, which still runs on some stations, and which they are now making a movie based on.

[lowbridge]

I like the SNL Sopranos parody as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuWHYJF8Il8&t=184s

[proust]

It must be tough deciding to be well paid and pampered starring in a big hollywood movie... also cutting the front of the line because of who your dad was.

[Albion Wilde]

Here’s some advice: don’t read Dante. You might feel offended when he depicts a lot of Italian people in hell.

[God luvs America]

I still don’t understand why you can’t grasp the point.

I plainly stated my protest is not with the way Italians are depicted- in fact i went out of my way to make sure you understood this and correctd my initial response. My protest is the double standard, which is what we are seeing daily with Christians, conservatives, the Jan 6 trespassers, white people, Italian Americans, etc, etc.

[dfwgator]

Where’s the Gabagool?

[dfwgator]

Ahh, didn’t see your post before I entered #30. That was so brilliantly done.

[Albion Wilde]

I get your point. I think it is aiming at the wrong target. The Sopranos was not an exploitation; it was a memoir, a celebration and a cautionary tale. I suspect the movie might be at least tolerable. You'd be better off picketing Adam Sandler when he does Opera Man.

There are thousands upon thousand of famed and acknowledged Italian-Americans who have shared positive values in our culture, such as
businessman Lee Iacocca,
chocolatier Dominic Ghirardelli,
banker Amadeo Giannini,
architect Robert Venturi,
artist Frank Stella,
chefs Ettore Buoiardi (Boyardee), Rachel Ray, Tom Colicchio;
industrial designers Jacuzzi and Zamboni;
Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito;
astronaut Walter Schirra;
signer of the Declaration of Independence William Paca;
physicist Enrico Fermi;
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo;
dozens of mayors and governors;
four Catholic Cardinals;
university presidents Bartlett Giamatti and John DeGioa;
thousands of artists, musicians and writers;
too many entertainers and sports figures to mention...

So why obsess about the criminal element? There are criminals and movies about them in every walk of American life, from every ethnicity.

[God luvs America]

How are Mike Pompeo, Anton Scalia & Sam ALito treated and viewed versus Tony Soprano??

[americas.best.days...]

Oh no! Do they have a young Carmella??

Cause that looks like Edie Falco sitting there with young Tony.😬

[AB AB AB]

Thanks for taking the time to provide such insightful commentary and context!

[Albion Wilde]

Oh no! Do they have a young Carmella?? Cause that looks like Edie Falco sitting there with young Tony.😬

The woman in the blue top is Tony's mother Livia, played by Vera Farmiga, who is actually Ukranian. In terms of script, it seems psychologically coherent that Tony, with all his hang-ups, would eventually marry someone who looked like his abusive mother.

[Albion Wilde]

Pompeo, Scalia and Alito are treated with great respect by over half the country. Were you looking for respect from the left? Because they don’t even respect Jesus Christ.

[Albion Wilde]

For any who are interested, here is the full cast and crew from IMDB. You can click on the actors' names and see their pictures enlarged. It's fun to compare the Newark "prequel" actors with the characters they played in older version in The Sopranos:

The Many Saints of Newark (2021) Full Cast & Crew

[Albion Wilde]

You’re very welcome!

[Albion Wilde]

are they not supposed to have _% of minorities in every film now?

The plot deals with the race riots in Newark in the 60s. It will be interesting to see how David Chase crafts the mobsters' language around the race issues. I expect to hear the word "moolies" at least once (Sicilian-American slang for "eggplants"), but wonder what else will get past the cancel culture censors?