Edie Falco fought back tears as she delivered a speech paying tribute to her Sopranos co-star James Gandolfini, Rollingstone explains.
Falco spoke in memory of Gandolfini, who died on June 19 of a heart attack at age 51, at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards.
“His portrayal of Tony Soprano had such depth and dimension that a lot of people still have a hard time believing that’s not who he really was,” Falco said. “Well, I’m here to tell you, Jim was really quite different. He had tremendous warmth and heart. He was kind and uniquely generous.”
Falco continued to explain Gandolfini’s devotion for his work and his life outside the business, saying, “One got the feeling Jim was never entirely comfortable with all the attention he got . . . he was far more interested in turning the light onto people he considered more worthy. While interviewing Iraqi war veterans for a project very close to his heart, he did so with such genuine interest, respect and humility. Over the years I was particularly moved by Jim’s devotion to his family, and to his fierce loyalty to his friends. If you needed anything at all, ever, Jim was there.”
The Sopranos received 11 Emmy nominations and 21 wins during its six-season course.
To watch the James Gandolfini tribute, visit the Rollingstone article here.