From Queens to the Big Screen
26 SEPTEMBER 2 0 2 1
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
EBY ESTELLE PYPER xcitement for “The Sopranos”
prequel, “The Many Saints of
Newark,” can be felt around
the city. The new film, based
on the beloved HBO series
starring the late James Gandolfini,
will transport fans
back to the 1960s and ‘70s. It follows
the teenage years of Tony Soprano
(played by Gandolfini’s son, Michael
Gandolfini) as his uncle and mentor
Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola)
gets wrapped up in a violent gang
war.
The cast is star-studded, featuring big
names like Vera Farmiga, Ray Liotta and
Leslie Odom Jr. Western Queens actress
Gabriella Piazza couldn’t believe she
found herself in the middle of it, playing
Dickie’s wife, Joanne Moltisanti.
Piazza spoke to BORO about her career
and her experience working on the
highly anticipated film.
Before she landed the role of Joanne
Moltisanti, Piazza was on a very different
life path. By her mid-twenties, the New
York City native was escalating through
the ranks at a technology company as VP
of sales, but something wasn’t right.
“It’s safe to say that I was missing a creative
spark,” Piazza said. “I had always
really been interested in television and
film, and I had the wonderful opportunity
to meet a very dear person in my life
who encouraged me to go to school at
night for acting.”
She took the friend’s advice and enrolled
at the New York Film Academy.
She quickly fell in love. After attempting
to juggle both a nine-to-five and acting
for half a year, Piazza quit her day job
when she decided to executive produce
and star in her own short film — which she
credits with catapulting her career.
“It was the scariest moment of my life,”
she recalled.
Over the next five years, she made
opportunities for herself and collaborated
with artists around the city. She
produced four short films, executive produced
three, starred in three, and went
on auditions — one of which led her to
the world of “The Sopranos.”
“I had watched this beautiful show
Photo by Barry Wetcher
See this local actress in ‘The Sopranos’ prequel
(L-r) Corey Stoll as Junior Soprano, unnamed extra, Vera Farmiga as Livia Soprano, Jon Bernthal
as Johnny Soprano, Michael Gandolfini as teenage Tony Soprano, Gabriella Piazza as Joanne
Moltisanti and Alessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltisanti in "The Many Saints of Newark."
(L-r) Gabriella Piazza as Joanne Moltisanti, Alessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltisanti, Ray Liotta
as “Hollywood Dick” Moltisanti and Michela De Rossi as Giuseppina Moltisanti in "The Many
Saints of Newark."