James Gandolfini is a happy man, I can report. He came to HBO’s big gala last night with not one but two wives. Yes, the once and always Tony Soprano has movies, projects, a baby about to be born and a happy family. He also told me he’s living in Los Angeles because his 13 year old son loves it. “We’re making it all work.” And indeed they are as first wife, Marcy, had just stopped his table to say hello and was leaving as I arrived.
Gandolfini and second wife, Deborah Lin, are expecting a baby girl in about three weeks. So that’s excellent news. They haven’t quite settled on a name yet. but both of the choices they mentioned sounded pretty good.
On the career front: I can tell you exclusively that Gandolfini is working on a comedy project with Steve Carell, from Carell’s production company. It’s called “The Bone Men” right now. The pair play paleontologists from the late 1800s. “It’s very funny,” says Gandolini. There are rumors that Fox2000 is interested, as well as HBO.
Meanwhile Gandolfini is working with HBO on a pilot called “Criminal Justice,” announced last week. And he’s about to be seen in “Killing Them Softly” with Brad Pitt. After a couple of tries, this is the first film the pair will have worked in together that’s an actual hit. He laughed when I reminded him that he said long ago every time the two actors were in a movie together, it bombed. No more.
The motto: to paraphrase “The Sopranos”: “Don’t stop believin”…Gandolfini always played being Tony Soprano the right away, shying away from becoming so intertwined with his character that he’d be stuck forever doing “Sopranos” conventions. He can do anything. And will.
