Michael Gandolfini, Leslie Odom Jr. and Alessandro Nivola on The Many Saints of Newark

With director Alan Taylor’s The Many Saints of Newark now playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max, I recently spoke to Michael Gandolfini, Leslie Odom Jr. and Alessandro Nivola about the prequel film to HBO’s hit crime drama, The Sopranos. During the fun interview, they shared some great stories from set, the way Nivola gets ready to film a scene, the deleted scene with Gandolfini and Nivola that had them slapping each other, the memorable first cast dinner, what people would be surprised to learn about The Many Saints of Newark, and more. If you haven’t seen the trailers, The Many Saints of Newark is set in 1960s New Jersey during one of the most tumultuous eras in the city’s history and follows the people that shaped a young Tony Soprano. While you might think the film is mostly focused on Tony (Gandolfini), it’s actually more about the uncle he idolizes, Richard “Dickie” Moltisanti, played by Nivola, who is the father of The Sopranos’ Christopher Moltisanti. In addition, Jon Bernthal pla