Michael Gandolfini Joins the Family Business
For most of us, Take Your Kid to Work day meant being parked at an empty desk in Dad’s office for a few hours, maybe with a snack from the vending machine. For Michael Gandolfini, it was a trip to Silvercup Studios in Queens, home base of The Sopranos. Gandolfini was born right after the groundbreaking HBO series’ first season, eight when it ended. In between, his father, James, who played the iconic Jersey mobster Tony Soprano, brought him to set often. Little Michael would grab some treats from the craft service table and wander the soundstages, rapt with wonder at all these people his dad worked with — guys holding boom mics, extras milling around in ugly shirts and pinkie rings, PAs scuttling to and fro, muttering into headsets. And when he grew tired and needed a nap, Jim Gandolfini made sure his son got the best bed available: Tony and Carmela’s.