The role Brad Pitt gave to James Gandolfini
When American actor James Gandolfini died in 2013, it triggered an outpouring of grief from across the entertainment world. Although he was best known for portraying Tony Soprano in the HBO drama series The Sopranos, Gandolfini had an extensive career that covered a much bigger range than the Jersey mob boss that he played to perfection.
One of the more surprising tributes came from Brad Pitt. On the surface, Pitt and Gandolfini couldn’t have seemed any more different. Between showing off his perfectly chiselled abs in Fight Club and playing perhaps the most believable stoner ever put to film in True Romance, Pitt certainly seemed to be at the opposite end of Gandolfini’s classic mix of intimidation and heart.
But the truth was that Pitt and Gandolfini shared some classic moments. The two appeared in three different feature films together: 1993’s True Romance, 2001’s The Mexican and 2012’s Killing Them Softly. “He’s the man,” Pitt claimed in 2001. “He’s one of those great actors who finds meaning in every line. I love watching him work.”
In fact, it was Pitt who got Gandolfini to agree to play the role of a gay mob hitman in The Mexican. At a time when The Sopranos was exploding in popularity, nobody else could have convinced Gandolfini to play yet another mob goon. But Pitt managed to convince Gandolfini that the role of Leroy was perfectly suited for him.
“I started thinking, maybe, I’ve done a bunch of these guys and this is kind of the final nail in the coffin,” Gandolfini told ABC News about the role. “This is where you are at the end.” For his part, Gandolfini credited Pitt’s co-star Julia Roberts for securing him the role, but Pitt’s involvement all but guaranteed that Gandolfini would agree to the project.
“I admire Jimmy as a ferocious actor, a gentle soul and a genuinely funny man,” Pitt recalled after Gandolfini’s death. “I am fortunate to have sat across the table from him and am gutted by this loss. I wish his family strength and some semblance of peace.”
Check out the trailer for The Mexican down below.
