Sopranos Creator David Chase Describes What Made James Gandolfini ‘Incredible’: ‘Something About His Eyes’
“It was otherworldly,” Chase told CBS News of the actor, who died in 2013
David Chase is detailing what he saw in the late James Gandolfini while filming The Sopranos.
The show’s creator, 78, caught up with CBS News for a retrospective on the iconic HBO series in honor of its 25th anniversary. During the chat, Chase shared what he felt made Gandolfini — who played protagonist Tony Soprano — stand out as an actor
“He’s incredible,” Chase said of Gandolfini, who died unexpectedly in 2013 from a heart attack at age 51.
“Well, the whole thing’s about his face and about his eyes, actually. There’s something about his eyes that – it was otherworldly.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Chase discussed how the series had a dark humor to it, sharing that he could “never been able to figure out whether it’s a comedy.”
“I guess it’s like life,” he said. “I don’t know, I hope.”
Other members of the Sopranos family — including Edie Falco (Carmela Soprano), Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) and Steve Van Zandt (Silvio Dante) — also reflected on the series and its anniversary. In doing so, Falco described how she was emotional during the read-through of the show’s final episode.
“I was out of control. I was embarrassed,” said the four-time Emmy winner, 60. “I really couldn’t stop crying, it was ridiculous. It was, ‘This thing in this moment will never happen again to me, to anyone.’”
Describing her onscreen dynamic with Gandolfini, Falco called it “a matter of alchemy.” The actress won three Emmys and two Golden Globe awards for her portrayal of Tony’s wife Carmela from 1999 to 2007.
“We both had Italian families, had some idea of what this dynamic feels like, and just sort of fell into it with great ease,” she said. “It was, you know, a 10-year marriage. And it was as close to a real one as I had known.”
In January, Chase spoke with PEOPLE about the milestone anniversary, when he described his “tremendous sense of gratitude” that the show’s fandom is still going strong. “I can’t remember this happening with any other television show ever,” he said.
At the time, he revealed what it was about Gandolfini that initially made him the right man for the role of Tony. “Look at the show, and there you see it. It’s a cliché to call that stuff magic, but he was totally inhabiting that fictional creature,” Chase said.
“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” he added of the series. “It’s probably the best thing I ever will do.”
The Sopranos is available to stream on Max.
