James Gandolfini's friends, loved ones and collaborators celebrated him Thursday as a teddy bear of a man who hugged a little too hard, an actor who committed so intensely to scenes that he once broke a refrigerator, and a man's man whose boyishness made him great.
New York's stately Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine was filled with a who's who of New York and New Jersey luminaries including Gov. Chris Christie, "Sopranos" creator David Chase and Gandolfini's co-stars on the HBO mob drama. Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Steve Buscemi were among them. Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes also attended.
Chase, as well as Gandolfini's wife and friends, spoke in remembrance of the actor, who died of a heart attack last week at 51. He recalled shooting a scene in which Gandolfini slammed a fridge so hard it broke -- and then complained about the dark places he had to go for the role of mob boss Tony Soprano...
Chase says he remembered telling Gandolfini: "Did it say anywhere in the script, 'Tony destroys a refrigerator? You destroyed the refigerator."
Later he addressed Gandolfini, as if reading him a letter: "Sometimes you tried too hard. That refrigerator was one example."
Rest In Peace, Tony Soprano.
Hat tip: BadBlue Fame - Celebrity News.
No,Not Tony Soprano.
ReplyDeleteRIP Jimmy Gandolfini.
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