'Sopranos' Hits High Note

By Stephen M. Silverman

07/27/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Emmy winner James Gandolfini, who out of 18 nominations took home the HBO mob show's only trophy a week ago, is getting a little more gold. Variety reports that the star, who plays New Jersey crime boss Tony Soprano, has a new contract that will yield him about $10 million over the next two seasons, as well as involve him in future projects as a producer and actor. The move was reportedly made by HBO (which, like PEOPLE, is part of Time Warner), because Gandolfini's movie salary is said to be $5 million per picture and he could easily pad his bank account by turning his back on the little screen in favor of the big one. His next film is "The Mexican," with Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt.