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Woke up this morning, got myself some gum.
No fewer than five former cast members on The Sopranos make appearances in the youth-oriented made-for-TV movie Nicky Deuce.
It starts with Steve Schirripa, who played Bobby Baccalieri on The Sopranos. Nicky Deuce is based upon a book written by Schirripa and Charles Fleming, and Schirripa also executive-produced the project.
“The Sopranos movie is not happening, this is as close as it’s going to get,” Schirripa said of Nicky Deuce, which debuts Monday, May 27 on YTV.
“You’re not going to see five guys from The Sopranos on the screen again. It won’t happen.”
Of course, too many of the characters on The Sopranos are dead to make a reunion project viable.
“That’s what Tony Sirico (who played Paulie on The Sopranos) keeps telling me,” Schirripa said. “He says, ‘You don’t want a movie because your character is dead.’ He wants a movie because his character was alive when the series ended.
“That’s why he brings it up. And believe me, he’s constantly bringing it up.”
Sirico also appears in Nicky Deuce, as do Michael Imperioli (who played Christopher), Vincent Curatola (who played Johnny Sack) and none other than Tony Soprano himself, James Gandolfini.
Let’s just say Gandolfini (pictured below) displays a talent for physical comedy that you might not have expected.
“Absolutely, I laughed out loud,” Schirripa said. “It‘s so funny to see him doing that stuff, just because of the roles he has played before. He was such a good sport. We had a great time doing the movie up in Montreal.”
Nicky Deuce stars Noah Munck (iCarly) as a nerdy, over-protected teenager who transforms into the title character through his new association with his Uncle Frankie (Schirripa) and some of the other colourful characters dotting the Brooklyn landscape.
“I watched some of the iCarly episodes, and then I met (Munck) in person, he’s a very sweet kid,” Schirripa said. “He wasn’t that familiar with Brooklyn, so I was telling him all about the world, and I told him which movies he should be watching, like The Godfather. So he did a little research, and I gotta tell ya, he‘s a terrific young actor, kind of fearless.
“I mean, this kid went toe to toe with Vince Curatola, who is a terrific actor. He went toe to toe with me, I’ve been around for a while. And the scene with Jim Gandolfini, I mean, he’s right with him every step of the way. I think he has a very bright future.”
Nicky Deuce may be aimed at YTV’s traditional audience, but adults can enjoy it, too.
“I know it’s a kids’ movie, but it’s not so big and ridiculous,” Schirripa said. “There are a lot of adults in it. There aren’t a lot of moments where an adult watching would go, ‘This is silly.’
“There are some really good moments in the scenes with Nicky and Donna (played by Cristine Prosperi from Degrassi). It’s a comedy but it’s very real. That’s the way we wanted to make it.
“The truth is, if you’re a Sopranos fan, I think you’ll love the movie.”
bill.harris@sunmedia.ca
@billharris_tv
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.