The 2012 role James Gandolfini tried his hardest to turn down: “Maybe you should get somebody else”
James Gandolfini was reluctant to reunite with David Chase for the 2012 film *Not Fade Away*, despite liking the script. He worried that audiences and critics would compare it unfairly with *The Sopranos*, and suggested Chase find someone else; the role matters as an example of Gandolfini’s range beyond Tony Soprano.
Chase eventually persuaded him to play Pat Damiano, a suburban 1960s father inspired by Chase’s own father, who struggles to understand his son’s dream of rock stardom. Chase said he had not pictured Gandolfini until much of the first draft was written, but then could see the film clearly with him in the role. The article also recalls Gandolfini’s varied later performances, including *Enough Said*, *Killing Them Softly*, *Zero Dark Thirty* and *The Drop*.
- Gandolfini nearly turned down *Not Fade Away*.
- He feared comparisons with *The Sopranos*.
- David Chase persuaded him to play Pat Damiano.
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The Sopranos made James Gandolfini widely known for playing Tony Soprano, a New Jersey crime boss balancing family life with organised crime. David Chase created the series and later wrote and directed Not Fade Away, a film set in the 1960s about a young man who dreams of becoming a rock star.
Gandolfini was hesitant to work with Chase again because he feared people would judge the film against the hit series. Chase persuaded him to play Pat Damiano, the young musician’s father, a suburban man who struggles to understand his son’s ambitions. The role shows Gandolfini taking on a character very different from Tony Soprano.