GOSSIP & RUMORS: James Gandolfini’s son Michael says dad was ‘protective’ on ‘Sopranos’ set

Bada bing, bada boom — James Gandolfini’s son is all grown up.

Now, Michael Gandolfini, 25, is following in his late father’s footsteps, acting in the new film “Warfare.”

The star recently got candid on his upbringing and watching James, who died in 2013 at 51 from a heart attack, play Tony Soprano on the hit show “The Sopranos.”

“When I’d visit him on the ‘Sopranos’ set, I’d hang out in his trailer. I had my own little drawer of toys and things to keep me occupied. My parents didn’t want me outside on set, exposed to the show’s violence and language,” Gandolfini, whose mom is film producer Marcy Wudarski, told “The Wall Street Journal” in an interview published on Tuesday.

Of course, the actor already had a vision of filmmaking in his head and “wanted to be a part of it.”

“Being excluded on set drove me crazy. My parents were protective and wanted me to enjoy being a kid. From my father’s perspective, if I was going to follow him into the business, he wanted me to discover acting on my own,” Gandolfini added.

The “Beau Is Afraid” alum reflected on his early years and explained that being a performer was always in his blood.

“I wasn’t into sports when I was really young,” stated Gandolfini. “Lots of kids I knew played football or soccer. I just wanted to create imaginative worlds, act out stories I made up with friends and tape them using my camcorder. Pretending was what calmed me.”

Following his parents’ divorce, James and Wudarski “remained close.”

“Friends of the family stepped in to help raise me when my dad was away,” Gandolfini noted, “and I enjoyed being home alone. I could write plays and perform them for my dad later.”

By the time he turned 12, Gandolfini and his mom headed for Los Angeles.

“She loved L.A., and we wanted a change from the gray, cold weather,” he reflected. “We lived in Studio City and Encino, which visually reminded me of suburban New Jersey. In middle school, I started playing ice hockey and football.”

“The Sopranos” ran for six seasons from 1999 to 2007 on HBO.

Only a year after his son and ex-wife relocated, tragedy struck when James suddenly passed away.

“When I was 13, my dad died of a heart attack, at age 51, while we were in Italy,” Gandolfini shared. “His death was a heavy blow.”

In 2021, the actor got to honor his dad by portraying a young Tony Soprano in “The Sopranos” prequel, “The Many Saints of Newark.”

“The Many Saints of Newark was a transformative role,” Gandolfini recalled. “To play Tony as a teen, I had to get a full sense of him, but I’d never watched an episode of “The Sopranos.” Going through the series to prep wasn’t like watching home movies. Tony was a role, and there were many layers to what my dad was doing with the character.”

While promoting the prequel, Gandolfini talked about his father not being around to see his work.

“I had known there isn’t a world where I’m going to make my dad proud — because I can’t,” he said to the  WSJ Magazine. “I understand that. 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.”

During his recent interview with the outlet, Gandolfini simply described his dad as “goofy, incredibly humble and sensitive.”