WATCH: Thousands audition at ‘The Many Saints of Newark’ casting call for ‘Sopranos’ prequel – NJ.com

Thousands of New Jerseyans woke up Thursday morning and got themselves a dream — to become part of Tony Soprano’s world.

The masses converged on Halsey Street in Newark for the privilege of spending hours waiting. Their goal: extra work in “The Many Saint of Newark,” the forthcoming “Sopranos” prequel film.

Starting at 6 p.m., North Jersey locals filled the entire second floor of the Hahne & Company building. After standing in a line that seemed to have no end, hopefuls with stars in their eyes had their picture taken and submitted their contact information to filmmakers at Express Newark, a community arts space.

Having been told that producers were looking for people of all ages for a scene set in 1967, some, like Carmine Lombardi of Lyndhurst, came to the “audition” in period-appropriate attire.

“I’m obviously a fan of the show and I wanted to come here to maybe stick my face into history,” said Lombardi, 24, wearing a gold chain and a lime green, blue and yellow ’60s-style shirt with a black collar. “A lot of our parents who raised us are from that era.” Like many of his older peers in line, he had a North Jersey accent to match.

“The Sopranos” premiered before Lombardi started elementary school. The extent of his acting experience: telling stories for his family at the dinner table.

Organizers said by the end of the casting session, about 3,000 people had shown up for the open call.

“The Many Saints of Newark” will be partially set during 1967, the year of the Newark riots, with the cast including Michael Gandolfini, son of iconic “Sopranos” star James Gandolfini, who died in 2013. Gandolfini, 19, plays a young Tony Soprano growing up in the 1970s.

The movie, which is scheduled to film on Branford Place in Newark starting May 6, is due out on Sept. 25, 2020. “Sopranos” creator David Chase co-wrote the script with Lawrence Konner and Alan Taylor is directing the film for New Line.

Kevin Modica, 28, of West Milford, wore a suit and gold chain to the casting, but that’s just his everyday uniform, he explained, having dashed from his job cutting hair at Stag House, a barber shop in Glen Rock.

“Growing up, it was a big to-do,” he said of the original series. “All of the Jersey Italians loved it.” He said that if he was chosen for the movie, he would ask his relatives what it was like during the riots.

Waiting in line, some fans reminisced about their favorite “Sopranos” characters and episodes.

“My favorite scene is when Paulie Walnuts is at the psychic,” said Maggee Miggins of Short Hills, chuckling as she recalled the tough guy being haunted by the people he whacked. Miggins, 54, arrived carrying her own professional headshot from her real estate business. “Those characters are fashioned after guys that my husband grew up with,” she said of the series.

“How big of a ‘Sopranos’ fan am I!?” said Michael Barchetto, 57, of Hawthorne, turning on his swagger. “I shoulda been in ‘The Sopranos,’ how ’bout that? I shoulda been thrown in as Big Pussy’s brother and find out who whacked him,” he said, referring to Sal “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore), who was famously offed in the show’s second season.

‘The Many Saints of Newark,’ the ‘Sopranos’ prequel movie, to start filming in Newark

Michael Gandolfini, James Gandolfini’s son, will play a young Tony Soprano in the movie, which also stars Vera Farmiga, Alessandro Nivola and Ray Liotta.

“About 15 years ago they had a tryout in Harrison that I went for, but unfortunately a riot broke out and they stopped the auditions,” Barchetto lamented.

Conditions at the open call in Newark were decidedly more peaceful, where Alicia Pacheco, 44, stepped out in formalwear with her daughters Gianella, 11, and Jacqueline, 10. Making the trip from Englewood, Pacheco wore a lacy yellow sleeveless dress with white gloves and a beaded necklace and the girls wore vibrant pink and floral dresses.

“They said you can come dressed like 1967,” Pacheco said, so that’s what they did. Aspiring extras were told that filming for “The Many Saints of Newark” would take place from May 7 to 10.

In addition to Michael Gandolfini, “The Many Saints of Newark” is slated to star Alessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltisanti, father to Christopher from the series. New Jersey natives Vera Farmiga and Ray Liotta will also star alongside Tony-winning “Hamilton” star Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal (“The Punisher”), John Magaro, who fronted the 2012 David Chase film “Not Fade Away,” Billy Magnussen (“Aladdin”), Corey Stoll (“First Man”) and Michela De Rossi, a Hollywood newcomer from Italy.

When they finally made it through lines that snaked upstairs around the building’s atrium, movie-extra hopefuls learned that organizers were also casting extras for the HBO limited series “The Plot Against America,” based on the 2004 Philip Roth novel, along with Steven Spielberg’s upcoming remake of “West Side Story” starring Clifton teen Rachel Zegler as Maria.

See Newark go back to the 1940s for ‘The Plot Against America’ HBO series based on the Philip Roth novel

The series from David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire,’ stars Winona Ryder, John Turturro, Anthony Boyle, Zoe Kazan and more.

Kenneth Gifford, director of the Newark Office of Film and Television, who oversaw the casting call, has attributed the current boom in film production to the restoration of New Jersey’s film tax credit program and Mayor Ras Baraka’s push to draw more films to Newark.

Earlier this month, “The Plot Against America,” produced by David Simon and Ed Burns (“The Wire”) transformed Commerce Street into a scene from the 1940s, with classic cars and retro store facades, also filming in the National Newark Building. The show, which features a cast including Winona Ryder, Zoe Kazan and John Turturro, also filmed at Temple Beth-El on Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City. Roth’s story presents an alternate history in which Nazi sympathizer Charles Lindbergh wins the 1940 election instead of Franklin Roosevelt.

As they anticipated their turn in the spotlight, Newark residents past and present reflected on the 1967 of “Many Saints of Newark.” Some were children during the riots, while others were born decades later.

John Hudak, 74, arrived with a story from that very year, when he was 22 and in the National Guard.

“They called us to active duty and I was actually standing on Springfield Avenue getting rocks and bottles thrown at me with a rifle with no ammunition,” he said. Hudak, who nows lives in Hackensack, said he was interested in trying out for the film because he lived in Newark for so many years. He seemed slightly miffed that organizers only wanted to take his photo.

“I have a ton of knowledge that they don’t know about,” Hudak said. “I’m an encyclopedia on the ’60s of Newark.” Hearing that the show was going to film on Branford Place, he recalled that his mother used to work at Joe’s Luncheonette on the street and proceeded to rattle off the names of various men’s clothing stores on the street where the “wiseguys” would buy their duds. He pointed out that he had some close ties to the kind of men depicted in “The Sopranos.”

Get a first look at Michael Gandolfini as ’70s Tony Soprano in ‘The Many Saints of Newark’

Gandolfini and other cast members have been filming the movie in Brooklyn. In a few weeks, the production will come to Newark.

“I’m not bragging about this, but two of my uncles back in the day were actually made men in the Mafia,” he said. “The real Mafia.”

Marilyn Hromoko, 62, who works in school operations at Barringer High School, has lived in Newark her whole life. She used to love spotting Bloomfield Avenue, Livingston and West Orange in the show. She called the 1967 setting for the film “a double-edged sword,” since she was a child during the riots. She came to the audition thinking her husband, Richard Hromoko, 68, would be a good fit for a “Sopranos” type.

Maybe it’s the deep voice, he said. “I also look Italian,” Hromoko said, even though he’s Russian and Polish.

Another “Many Saints of Newark” hopeful, Dazhai Brown, 21, is minoring in performing arts at Essex County College. The Newark resident grew up watching her uncle watch “The Sopranos.” Her grandmother grew up during the time of the riots. Brown said she would be grateful to see what that was like if she’s selected for any scenes depicting the unrest.

“I’m sure it’s going to be difficult for her to watch, knowing that’s what she had to grow up in,” Brown said. “I want to know what happened in my city, as a resident of Newark, so it would be great to be a part of the movie. Even if I don’t get in it, I’m excited to watch it in my city.”

Renee Williams, who was born a year after the riots, jumped at the chance to throw her name into the ring for the film after her daughter sent her the casting announcement. Williams, vice principal at Newark’s Belmont Runyon School, earned her bachelor’s degree in television production and is excited to get back into film for her 51st birthday.

“There’s hundreds of people here from literally all walks of life, but all with one common goal: to celebrate the city of Newark, which is growing and just doing some great things,” Williams said. It helps that she’s a huge Tony Soprano fan — “He was very real and very raw, you could really relate to him,” she said.

Though “The Sopranos” bowed on HBO in 2007 with an infamous cut to black, some of those attending the casting call were only just getting into the series, or had yet to discover it.

“I’ve never really heard of it, honestly,” said Athar-Ali Saleem, 19, of East Orange, who had been waiting an hour and a half to get himself in the running for some screen time. He said he was just happy for a chance to dip a toe into acting.

Kevin Greene, 28, of Little Ferry, grew up a few minutes away from Satin Dolls, the Lodi go-go bar used as the Bada Bing, a home away from home for Tony Soprano in the HBO series. He said there was probably not much of a chance that he’d be chosen as an extra, since he’d heard that only 200 people were going to be plucked from several thousand.

“I actually just started watching the show, I’m only on the first season,” he said, fleeing the scene when his friends veered into spoiler territory.

While some naysayers have panned the idea of extending the “Sopranos” narrative beyond its original run, Charles Leenstra of Wayne is completely invested in the idea.

“TV is like king now,” said Leenstra, 29. “I honestly think that’s a great idea because it was the best show on TV.”

Have a tip? Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.

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