Michael Gandolfini Reflects on Being Unable to Make His Late Dad Proud with Many Saints of Newark

Tyrell Hampton for WSJ. Magazine

Michael Gandolfini has accepted that he sadly won't be able to make one person in his life proud with his starring role in the forthcoming Sopranos prequel film.

While chatting with WSJ. Magazine for the women's fall fashion issue — available on newsstands Saturday — about The Many Saints of Newark, the 22-year-old actor opened up about how his late father, James Gandolfini, of course, won't be able to watch the film in which he stars as a younger version of his dad's iconic television character, Tony Soprano.

Speaking alongside producer David Chase and fellow film star Alessandro Nivola, Michael told the outlet, "I had known there isn't a world where I'm going to make my dad proud — because I can't."

"I understand that," he continued, before adding, "But I wanted to make David proud, and I wanted to make my fellow actors proud and learn as much as I can — that was a goal I could set."

James died of a heart attack at the age of 51 in 2013 during a family vacation in Rome. Michael was just 14 years old at the time.

RELATED: How James Gandolfini's Son Paid Tribute to His Late Dad While Filming Sopranos Movie Prequel

Amy Sussman/Getty; Evan Agostini/Getty Michael Gandolfini and James Gandolfini

Also during his chat with WSJ. Magazine, Michael said that he watched The Sopranos for the first time during his audition period for the new film. The hit HBO series previously ran from 1999 through 2007.

"Once the audition process started, I started watching the show. ... The audition process was the hardest part," he explained. "Just watching for the first time. Seeing my dad and seeing how good my dad was — which pissed me off in some regard and made me feel so proud."

"I was so happy for him and also thinking back to growing up on the set. And then having to just clear all … the junk. All the crap …, laughing so hard and crying," Michael continued. "It felt so good to get it all out."

Speaking of his father's role as Tony, Michael added, "My dad has this beautiful vulnerability on the inside of Tony and this aggression on the outside. David's writing here kind of flipped that. I was like, All right. What if I make the vulnerability the surface and the rage slowly grows in him, right? Because of his parents. Then it was just about that."

RELATED VIDEO: Sopranos Cast Reunites and Shares Favorite Memories with James Gandolfini: He Was 'Really Special'

In addition to Michael, The Many Saints of Newark also stars Ray Liotta, Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, John Magaro, Michela De Rossi and Vera Farmiga, who plays Tony's mother.

In a recent interview with Empire, Michael and director Alan Taylor opened up about James' legacy and how his son honored him throughout filming.

"We all had dinner one night," Taylor recalled to the outlet. "At one point, [Michael] stood up and said, 'I want to thank everyone for doing this because it was a chance to say hello to my father … and goodbye again.' There wasn't a dry eye in the house."

While discussing the film with Esquire back in 2019, Michael opened up about how his father's death is what propelled him to pursue a career in acting — and eventually land the same role that James is best known for. "From the first day, I fell in love with it," Michael said at the time. "It actually started my grieving process with my dad."

The Many Saints of Newark will be in theaters and on HBO Max on Oct. 1.