A hand like a catcher’s mitt. He was a big tough guy, but warm and very inviting.
I met (and shook hands with) James Gandolfini in New York City while covering the Tribeca Film Festival. He and John Travolta were doing press for an underrated film called “Lonely Hearts.” Gandolfini stayed around to chat afternoon formal questioning, whereas Travolta bolted. In the film, Gandolfini played Charles Hilderbrandt, a grizzled police detective hot on the heels of the famous lonely hearts killers from the late 1940’s. It is a good film and contained another impressive performance from one of the most unlikely leading men in Hollywood.
A consistently interesting actor, Gandolfini popped up everywhere. And you really couldn’t resist him, even when he was a bad guy. I remember how ugly he was playing a killer in “True Romance.” To his credit, he took on another killer years later in “The Mexican.” That conflicted character had much more depth and Gandolfini delivered. Any production he became a part of was elevated. And the roles frequently varied. Check him out in the BBC production “In the Loop.” The big guy knew how to make any character work.
It is hard to believe that he was only 51 years old, because his career was so extensive. He had a lifetime of roles. And none was bigger than his star-making turn as mobster family man Tony Soprano on the iconic HBO series. He won numerous awards for his performance including a much deserved Golden Globe in 2000. It appears that his last film may be “Animal Rescue” along side Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace. The film is listed as in post-production, so, we can expect to see another rich performance from this unique and beloved actor.
