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Despite his success as the head of a mob family in one of the greatest shows ever made, throughout his career, James Gandolfini avoided the celebrity lifestyle and often referred to himself as a working-class actor. As a result, he rarely entertained the media spotlight and let his acting do the talking.
But in 2004, the actor finally let his guard down and opened up for a detailed interview, revealing some of his fondest memories in showbiz, which involved the critically pennedTerminal Velocity, starring Charlie Sheen.
Terminal Velocityturned out to be a memorable experience for James Gandolfini
In 1994, the yearCharlie Sheenreceived his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, thePlatoonstar headlined one of his biggest bombs,Terminal Velocity. Apart from some enthralling skydiving sequences andJames Gandolfini‘s impeccable performance as Mr. Pinkwater, the movie was criticized over its plot, acting, and especially dialogues, which involves the phrase,
I’m much more than a walking penis…I’m a flying p-nis.
On the bright side,The Sopranosstar, who was one of its biggest positives, had a great experience, thanks to the shooting location.
“They were gonna get rid of me”: The Sopranos Star Who Lied to Land the Role Caused a Disaster but James Gandolfini Came to Rescue
In an interview with reporter Rebecca Brill Moody (viaNew Jersey Monthly), Gandolfini shared that he loved visiting Moscow and Mexico City for the movie’s shoot.
Well, I went to Moscow when I did one of my first movies, with Charlie Sheen [Terminal Velocity, in 1994]—that was wonderful. I got to go to Mexico City, which I thought was amazing.
Fortunately for Sheen and Gandolfini, the disaster of the 1994 movie did little to hinder their run in showbiz. As opposed to Gandolfini’s success inThe Sopranos, Sheen too dominated the small screen withTwo and a Half Menuntil hisfallout with the series creator.
James Gandolfini shared his stance on being typecast
Actors, who excel at playing a certain role, often struggle to break away from that pigeonhole, and given the success ofThe Sopranos, many felt that James Gandolfini wouldn’t be able to escape Tony’s shadow. Although theViolet & Daisystar admitted to being typecast at the time, he was adamant about turning to different roles after the show’s conclusion.
On one level, I am typecast, because this show is so popular, so in-everybody’s-face. I’ll make a conscious effort after this is over to take other roles. I can’t keep doing Mafia roles. That would be idiotic. I think having a son, I don’t want to go to those places as much, you know what I mean? You want to play different types of characters that your son could se.
The actor did live up to his words, as in the latter stage of his career, Gandolfini starred in a bunch of works, which were a far cry from his mafia gig.
“Don’t do that. Stop”: The Sopranos Star James Gandolfini Was a Gentle Giant in Real Life But a Paparazzi Incident With His Son Made Him Go God Mode
Terminal Velocityis available to rent on Apple TV.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2539
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
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Charlie SheenJames Gandolfini
