Released in 2021, The Many Saints of Newark brought fans back to the world of The Sopranos by taking an in depth look at the events that helped shape Tony into the man he would become in the HBO series. Now, original Sopranos star Edie Falco reveals the details behind the scene she shot for the prequel film that was cut from the final edit. Falco starred as Carmela Soprano in the hit series, which lasted for 6 seasons, and is widely regarded as one of the best TV shows of all time.
Speaking with IndieWire, Falco revealed that she got all dressed up for nothing for The Many Saints of Newark, for which she shot the film’s original opening scene. Despite having her hair, make-up, and nails done for the shoot, it was ultimately cut from the version fans saw in theaters and on streaming. Still, Falco says it was good to see the old crew again, as there were “so many Sopranos people there.”
“I came in, and I did a monologue. I’m embarrassed that I don’t know what [exactly] it was about. It was Carmela as if she was musing on the old days, and then the movie began. Then I found out that [Taylor] didn’t end up using it. What a flippy day that was [laughs]. All these years later they’re doing my hair, putting on jewelry, putting the nails back on, it was like a serious trip. There were so many Sopranos’ people there. It was so lovely. I’m so deeply fond of those people, Alan Taylor, of course, amongst them.”
Directed by Alan Taylor, The Many Saints of Newark was first released theatrically in 2021, with Warner Bros. Pictures hoping that the nostalgia factor would be enough to draw fans of The Sopranos to cinemas to see where it all began. Unfortunately, the movie was a box office dud, earning just $13 million against its budget of $50 million. That being said, it would go on to find success on streaming, garnering one million views in its first weekend of release.
Why Was Edie Falco Cut from The Many Saints of Newark?
Given the fact that she played such a pivotal role in The Sopranos, one would think that Falco’s part in The Many Saints of Newark would be the perfect way to open up the film, giving fans a welcome hit of dopamine after not seeing Carmela for nearly 15 years. However, as with most Hollywood productions, scenes are regularly shot that don’t make the final cut, and unfortunately, Falco’s was one of them.
Speaking with NME back in 2021, Taylor opened up about why her scene was deleted from the film, saying that at the time they shot it, they still weren’t entirely sure which direction the movie would go in. Ultimately, The Many Saints of Newark decided to open in a cemetery, focusing on the grave of Christopher Moltisanti, followed by a monologue by Micheal Imperioli who portrayed the character in The Sopranos.
“When you make a movie you’re not exactly sure the final shape it’s going to be and we, believe it or not, shot a few things that included other cast members… There was some confusion as to how best launch the movie. How to start the movie. So we tried a few things and that [Falco’s scene] 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.”
Regardless of how it opened, The Many Saints of Newark was still a great trip down memory lane that gave fans a glimpse into the early years of the characters we’d come to know and love over the course of The Sopranos, and introduced us to a few new ones that we’d only heard about in passing. With a 72% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s definitely a worthy prequel that’s available to stream on Max, and is the perfect way to spend a couple of hours before deciding to binge the original HBO hit this fall.
