James Gandolfini's widow says it was 'almost surreal' to see his son Michael take on the role of Ton

James Gandolfini's widow Deborah Lin said that it was "almost surreal" seeing his son Michael as a young Tony Soprano in the recent trailer for "The Many Saints of Newark." "I know it took a lot of courage for him to take this role. It was very emotional," Lin told Page Six.

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  • James Gandolfini's widow said it was "almost surreal" seeing his son as a young Tony Soprano.
  • "The whole family is just so proud of him. His father would be very proud," Deborah Lin said.
  • Fans saw Michael as a young Tony in the recent trailer for the prequel "The Many Saints of Newark."

James Gandolfini's widow Deborah Lin said that it was "almost surreal" seeing his son Michael as a young Tony Soprano in the recent trailer for "The Many Saints of Newark." 

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"I know it took a lot of courage for him to take this role. It was very emotional," Lin told Page Six.

"But the whole family is just so proud of him. His father would be very proud," she added. 

Michael, 22, is the son of Gandolfini and his first wife, Marcy Wudarski. They married in 1999 and had Michael the same year, but divorced in 2002. Gandolfini later remarried, tying the knot with Lin in 2008. The couple would go on to have one child, Liliana, together in 2012. 

The elder Gandolfini is best known for his role as Tony Soprano on HBO's iconic drama, and won numerous Emmy awards for his portrayal of the mobster over the years. 

Gandolfini died of a heart attack in 2013. He was survived by Lin, Liliana, and Michael, who was just 14 at the time. 

Fans of "The Sopranos" first saw Michael step into his dad's shoes when the first full trailer for "The Many Saints of Newark," a prequel film to the HBO show, premiered in late June. 

"The Many Saints of Newark" is set during Tony's adolescence in 1960s New Jersey as his male relatives, especially Dickie, introduce him to a life of violence and crime.

As the trailer highlights, tensions between Italian Americans and Black Americans were at a breaking point and culminated in the 1967 uprisings in Newark. 

And while the ending to the critically acclaimed drama was frustratingly vague (the final shot of Tony famously cut to black in the midst of a tense dinner scene, leaving his fate ambiguous), the new film seems like it will shed some light on how Tony's upbringing, and especially his relationship with his mother, influenced his adult personality. 

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