The anniversary of James Gandolfini's death recently passed, and those who knew the star of one of HBO's best dramas memorialized him. Former Sopranos actor Michael Imperioli also took a moment to remember his former co-star and a man who he considered a friend.
Imperioli posted a heartfelt post to James Gandolfini on his Instagram, and among other things, talked about the relationship the two shared while working together:
Dear Jim. It’s been seven years today since we lost you. 7 years since that sad and tragic day. I miss you a lot and will always be grateful for your friendship, your kindness, your talent. I miss working with you my friend, you always challenged me to be my best and then go beyond it. I miss laughing with you , we shared some surreal, hilarious and ridiculous moments. And it still feels unreal that you are not here. Thanks you always for your generous soul and spirit. Love forever, Michael.
Sounds like James Gandolfini left quite an impact on Michael Imperioli long after his untimely death back in 2013. Gandolfini was in Italy to be a part of the 59th Taormina Film Festival in Sicily when he died of a heart attack. The actor was 51, and news of his death sent shock waves across Hollywood.
Michael Imperioli has to have James Gandolfini and Tony Soprano on the brain a lot as of late, as the actor has teamed up with other former Sopranos actor Steve Schirripa for Talking Sopranos. The podcast, which is referenced in the tribute post below, features the two actors going through all the old episodes of the HBO series and sharing behind-the-scenes information and interviews with former cast and crew of the show.
The two actors still have a long way to go before wrapping the podcast, but I can only imagine there are plenty of great stories coming out of it regarding The Sopranos and James Gandolfini. Many stories of Gandolfini's kindness had rolled out in the years since his passing, and one could imagine more are still to come as the release of The Sopranos movie draws near.
Tony Soprano will be in The Sopranos prequel film The Many Saints of Newark but will be played by James Gandolfini's son, Michael. Michael Imperioli will not be in the film, of course, given his character Christopher would presumably be unborn or a baby at that time. That's a bit of a downer though, anyone hoping to see Tony and Christopher go round and round all over again can always binge the show via streaming platform.
The Sopranos is currently available to stream on HBO Max. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest news happening in the world of television and movies.
