This Sopranos Actor Filmed A Deleted Scene For The Many Saints Of Newark
It's not an exaggeration to say that, when it comes to prestige crime dramas, HBO's "The Sopranos" is only matched by similarly acclaimed dramas like "The Wire" and "Breaking Bad." The late James Gandolfini's performance as mafioso Tony Soprano is truly special, and the episodic storytelling puts his crew of gangsters under the microscope to see what makes them tick. It's also not an exaggeration to say "The Sopranos" is one of the greatest TV shows of all time based on its stats. More than 10 years after the HBO show finished its six-season run in 2007, it still boasts a 92% critic score and a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
So, when news first arrived in 2018 that "The Sopranos" creator David Chase was writing a prequel movie set before the series, the excitement was palpable (via The Guardian). "The Many Saints of Newark" explores how Tony Soprano becomes a gangster and what put his life on that course. Chase wrote the film alongside Lawrence Konner, and it's directed by "The Sopranos" and "Game of Thrones" alum Alan Taylor. Although Gandolfini doesn't lead the film, the actor's son, Michael Gandolfini, will play the younger Tony Soprano. The trailers for the Warner Bros. film show that he's the right man for the role.
Recently, Taylor revealed that one of the original actors from "The Sopranos" shot a scene for "The Many Saints of Newark." However, the scene was deleted from the theatrical cut of the film. Which actor almost made an appearance in this long-awaited prequel?
Edie Falco reprised her role as Carmela Soprano
Director Alan Taylor spoke to NME about "The Many Saints of Newark" and revealed the crew shot a scene with "The Sopranos" alum Edie Falco, who reprised her role as Carmela Soprano, Tony's wife. Unfortunately, the scene was left out of the final film. Taylor explained, "We had Edie come in, and she dressed up as Carmela, and we shot something with her, and it wound up not being in the final movie, but it was a great excuse to see her again."
He went on to say, "She's so ridiculously talented, and she's also one of these people who — and it seems to frequently be women — that manage to be perfect actors and also the sanest people you've ever met in your life."
The "Many Saints" director revealed that Falco's return as Carmela was one of the ways they tried to solve the problem of how best to start the movie. He explained, "We tried a few things, and that was one of them. If you've seen the movie, you'll see that we begin it in a very different way now, but that wasn't always the idea."
It's a shame that audiences won't get to see Carmela Soprano in the film, but the director hopes fans will be pleased with the surprises they have in store, saying, "We — believe it or not — shot a few things that included other cast members."
"The Many Saints of Newark" arrives in theaters on October 1, 2021.