James Gandolfini is best known for playing Tony Soprano on The Sopranos, but he has a twenty-plus year career in film behind him, too. Since The Sopranos ended, Gandolfini has been working selectively, largely on smaller projects such as Rileys. Giovanni Agnelli gives us some insight into the man who plays Doug, Kristen Stewart’s foil in the film.
I am not easily intimidated, and I usually have no problem speaking to people, but sometimes there are people that for one reason or another intimidate the sh*t out of me. James Gandolfini was one of those people. I was completely insecure about approaching James. He was absolutely pleasant and seemed to get along great with many others on the crew that he had worked with before, so I don’t know why I was nervous.
As the filming began I would sit on set, wearing my headphones that allowed me to hear the actors speaking during the scene. I would watch in awe at this towering man and this tiny girl. The physical differences would seem like a distraction, yet when they spoke, the actors disappeared and it was just Doug and Mallory, two damaged and isolated people bonding through their pain.
Watching James work only added to me being nervous to speak with him. Each take would be fresh and he would bring a new dimension and intensity to the character. I was in awe of his abilities. So as we would pass, I would just politely nod, not having the courage to speak to him.
One day, in between takes, I was sitting with my nephew Peter, who as I’ve mentioned before is blind and autistic. He is severely autistic so his brain and his body don’t seem to agree on everything. I have to do almost every task that you would do for yourself, for him. I have to spoon feed him, bathe him, dress him, etc. As I was feeding Peter, James walked up next to us and took my nephews hand. He leaned over to Peter and said, “I bet you have a way of bringing out the best in everybody around you.” My nephew gave a huge smile, James turned to me and said, “I have a son, I respect how much you love this boy,” and then he walked back onto set for the next scene. Needless to say, my nerves were a thing of the past. James has a way on and off screen of being very vulnerable and powerful simultaneously. It isn’t something that can be taught. You experience it in almost every scene.
