The Many Saints of Newark: Interviews w/ Gandolfini, Farmiga, Bernthal, Nivola & more

I really enjoyed Alan Taylor and David Chase’s The Many Saints of Newark. A prequel to The Sopranos, the film charts the downfall of gangster Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), a legendary but never seen figure on the TV series and the father of Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli). In addition, the movie explores the impact Dickie had on his nephew, Tony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini), whose father, Johnny-Boy (Jon Bernthal), is captain of his own mafia crew.

The casting on this one is impeccable all the way through, and I was thrilled to talk to most of the cast. Let’s start with perhaps my favourite interview of the bunch, where I spoke to Michael Gandolfini, Jon Bernthal and Vera Farmiga, who plays the notorious Livia Soprano. To my amusement, I discovered that Farmiga had never watched the show before signing on and that she was in awe of Nancy Marchand’s famous performance when she caught up. In fact, of everyone, only Bernthal seemed to be a hardcore Sopranos fan. Gandolfini, for his part, was highly likeable and humble as he discussed taking on the role his father, James Gandolfini, made famous.

I then got a chance to talk to Alessandro Nivola, Leslie Odom Jr., and Michela De Rossi, who play Dickie, the black gangster Harold, and Dickie’s young new mother-in-law. Nivola seemed amused when I gave Art of Self-Defence a shout-out and seemed excited about his first prominent leading man role in a major studio movie. Odom Jr., shared his newfound obsession with The Sopranos and his hope that Harold’s story could continue. At the same time, De Rossi had some really interesting things to say about the women at the center of the show and the movie’s legacy.

And finally, I got to speak to Alan Taylor, who had just read my rave of the film before our interview. As in other interviews, he mentioned how his last two films (Terminator Genisys & Thor: The Dark World) weren’t happy experiences and how thrilled he was coming home to the world of The Sopranos and working with Chase.

The Many Saints of Newark is in theatres and on HBO Max now!