• December 25, 2000
• Vol. 54
• No. 27

James Gandolfini

Mixing Sangfroid with Gang Freud, He Gives Us a Don with Demons

Who does he think he is, Tony Soprano? For two seasons James Gandolfini has charmed and chilled fans of HBO's The Sopranos as the schlumpy suburban Mob boss with complicated issues. This year he won an Emmy for best actor in a dramatic series. You'd think at some point he'd have something to say for himself. Fuhgeddaboutit! "I'm not interesting. The character is," declares the notoriously attention-shy actor. Fortunately, Gandolfini has friends who are willing to sing. Like Julia Roberts, with whom he appears in The Mexican, due next spring. "This is a character we've seen a jillion and four times, but there's something so amazing with what James does with Tony Soprano," she says. "I mean, here he is, a cold-blooded killer. And we love him! We feel bad for him. That's quite an achievement, and that's why people are so transfixed."

Lorraine Bracco, who plays Dr. Melfi, Tony's psychiatrist, says, "There are parts in actors' lives that they have a huge connection with. This is one for him." Inhabiting the role of Tony S. does have its benefits for Gandolfini, 39, who lives in Manhattan with his wife, Marcy, and their young son Michael. "At 3 in the morning someone was banging on the door of Jim's apartment building," recounts Edie Falco, who plays Tony's wife, Carmela. "So he put on his bathrobe and went downstairs to see what the guy was screaming about. The guy sees him and jumps backward, practically tripping over the curb, and says, 'Tony, man, I'm so sorry. I am so sorry!' " Gandolfini, the man of few words, didn't say a word.