Meet a Young Tony Soprano in ‘The Many Saints of Newark’ | Anatomy of a Scene

While the “Sopranos” movie prequel “The Many Saints of Newark” (in theaters and on HBO Max) contains plenty of action, betrayals and all that you would expect from a mob drama based on the HBO series, a no-frills scene involving a bedroom conversation is a favorite of the film’s director, Alan Taylor. That interlude takes place in the room of a young Tony Soprano (here played by William Ludwig), who has been suspended for running a numbers game at school. His mother has sent his (sort of) uncle, Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), up to have a chat with him and try to set him on the right path. “I try to be good,” Tony says. “I don’t think so. Try harder,” Dickie responds. Narrating the scene, Taylor, says that the moment isn’t just a typical domestic chat. “It’s two guys sitting on a bed talking,” he says, “but it really contains the entire relationship and the entire destiny of Tony’s character.” Read the New York Times review: Subscrib