Though the upcoming “The Many Saints of Newark” is a prequel to “The Sopranos,” director Alan Taylor revealed in a recent interview that the movie nearly included a cameo from other “Sopranos” cast members, including Edie Falco reprising her role as Carmela.
Taylor told NME Monday that Falco was among those who came in to film a scene that could have opened the film, but the scene ended up cut from the finished movie.
“Yes, not to give away too much but, when you make a movie you’re not exactly sure the final shape it’s going to be and we, believe it or not, shot a few things that included other cast members,” Taylor said. “We had Edie come in and she dressed up as Carmela and we shot something with her and it wound up not being in the final movie but it was a great excuse to see her again.”
Taylor didn’t hint at who else may have returned, but no cast members from the original series have been confirmed to return for “Many Saints of Newark.” But he did explain that the scene was originally meant as a way to start the film and preface the action that’s set in the ’60s.
“There was some confusion as to how best launch the movie. How to start the movie. So we tried a few things and that was one of them,” Taylor said. “If you’ve seen the movie you’ll see that we begin it in a very different way now but that wasn’t always the idea.”
Taylor also praised Falco as a performer and as a person and that he and “Sopranos” creator David Chase were thrilled to be able to see and work with her again.
“She’s so ridiculously talented and she’s also one of these people who – and it seems to frequently be women – that manage to be perfect actors and also the sanest people you’ve ever met in your life,” Taylor said. “I think Frances McDormand is like that and Edie Falco has that same quality of being like a solid, good, sane person. It was good to see her again.”
“The Many Saints of Newark” opens in theaters and on HBO Max Oct. 1. The film stars Alessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltisanti, Vera Farmiga, Ray Liotta and James Gandolfini’s son Michael Gandolfini as a young Tony Soprano.