The Many Saints of Newark: Corey Stoll and Billy Magnussen on Making The Sopranos Prequel
32With director Alan Taylor’s The Many Saints of Newark now playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max, I recently spoke to Corey Stoll and Billy Magnussen about making the prequel film to HBO’s hit crime drama, The Sopranos. During the interview they talked about how they each got ready for their roles, what people would be surprised to learn about the making of the film, what it was like shooting two weeks of nothing but funeral scenes, how Magnussen originally auditioned to be another character, and more.
If you haven’t seen the trailers, The Many Saints of Newark is set in 1960s New Jersey during one of the most tumultuous eras in the city’s history and follows the people that shaped a young Tony Soprano. While you might think the film is mostly focused on Tony (Michael Gandolfini), it’s actually more about the uncle he idolizes, Richard “Dickie” Moltisanti, played by Alessandro Nivola, who is the father of The Sopranos’ Christopher Moltisanti.
In addition, Jon Bernthal plays Johnny Soprano, Tony's father and a capo in the DiMeo crime family; Vera Farmiga plays a younger version of Lidia Soprano, Tony's mother, who was played by Nancy Marchand in The Sopranos; Stoll plays a younger version of Junior Soprano, the character played by Dominic Chianese; and Magnussen plays a younger version of Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri, the character played by Tony Sirico. The film also stars Leslie Odom Jr., Ray Liotta, Gabriella Piazza, and is co-written by series creator David Chase and Lawrence Konner.
During the interview they talked about how they each got ready for their roles, what people would be surprised to learn about the making of the film, what it was like shooting two weeks of nothing but funeral scenes, how Magnussen originally auditioned to be another character, and more.
Watch what Corey Stoll and Billy Magnussen had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.
Corey Stoll and Billy Magnussen
I jokingly ask what they gave David Chase to let them be in the movie?
How Magnussen originally auditioned to be another character.
They each talk about how they prepared for their roles and if they felt any additional pressure because it was part of The Sopranos.
How the dialect coach gave Stoll a supercut of Junior Soprano’s off-color jokes.
What would surprise people to learn about the making of The Many Saints of Newark?
How they shot two weeks of nothing but funeral scenes.
#CoreyStoll #BillyMagnussen #TheManySaintsofNewark
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