James Gandolfini died today. He was in Italy. He was fifty-one. What can I say……
Everyone will write the same story, where he came from, what
movies he did, and how he changed television for ever with his portrayal of Mob
Boss Tony Soprano.
But James was so much more of an actor, as that’s how we all
knew him. We knew of his roles. But his roles varied so much it was hard to
pin him down. It was sometimes
frustrating to accept some of the roles he took. I wrote earlier, a few blogs back, that I was
frustrated with his post Soprano career choices, but now he’s gone and I will
cherish every single one of those roles. I will cherish every single moment of
screen time he has given us and I will remember the blue collar actor who
seemed larger than life in some roles, and cowering from life in others.
James Gandolfini joins the ranks of Brando, DeNiro, Pacino,
etc., but not because he is dead; he had already achieved that status long
ago. But his death reminds us of what
category of actor he was. And it sickens
me to write about this amazing man in the past tense. It always hurts to reflect on someone so
amazing who dies so suddenly at such a young age.
It’s amazing how we respond so emotionally to people we’ve
never met, but watching their work created a connection to them. And so hearing about James dying today hurt
my heart and was so unexpected that it felt like a punch in the gut.
The world is again an emptier place without James in it, and
the film world is short another amazing talent.
God Bless you James.
May you rest in peace. And may
you never be forgotten.
---Doctor Teeth
