With The Sopranos prequel movie trailer dropping on June 29, The Many Saints of Newark provided a first look of Michael Gandolfini in action stepping into the shoes of the iconic role originated by his late father James Gandolfini. But it also provided a look of Vera Farmiga as Tony Soprano's mother Livia — and, more importantly, Farmiga's prosthetic nose. The nose does successfully transform Farmiga into Nancy Marchand's Livia. Butttt it also kind of transforms her into another woman important in Tony's life... Carmela Soprano.
Farmiga has played a questionable mother in a prequel before with Bates Motel and she already has Emmy and Oscar nominations under her belt. So with that track record, a prosthetic nose might not have even been necessary to embody the role of Livia Soprano as originally portrayed by Marchand, who passed away in between Season 2 and 3 of The Sopranos. But, as fans noted on Twitter, this could be Farmiga's The Hours moment à la Nicole Kidman. And it's far better than The Many Saints of Newark going the way of The Irishman or something (after all, Livia Soprano was already CGI-ed into The Sopranos following Marchand's death to mixed results.) Yet, nose or no nose, there's no denying that Farmiga accurately gives off Livia vibes with her disapproving looks and scoffs at the guidance counselor's suggestion that her son Tony could be a leader.
But when it comes to that nose, Farmiga is looking almost more like Edie Falco's Carmela than Marchand's Livia, no? For comparison's sake...
Here's Young Livia and Old Livia:
And, here's Young Livia and Carmela:
Perhaps it's the tired and disappointed look. Or the fact that Falco was 36 years old when The Sopranos started — far closer to Farmiga's current age of 47 than Marchand's 70 years. And maybe the real discussion here should be how somehow I never noticed how very similar Marchand and Falco's noses are?? But with Farmiga's Livia looking like Carmela, I have to wonder: Is there where many of Tony's mommy issues stemmed from — that his wife looked like his mom when she younger? It's not like Tony's psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi didn't hint at some sort of Oedipus complex. But oh my god, please nobody let Tony know I said that.... or Livia for that matter.
Tony was far from faithful to Carmela, so he was sexually attracted to many many different women throughout the course of The Sopranos. But hey, remember when he saw his mom as Dr. Melfi in Season 1's "Meadowlands"? Plus, Carmela was very much a surrogate mom to him, keeping the Soprano home tidy and providing all-you-can-eat gabagool on-demand. Was this the all-too-commonplace and horrifying wife becoming a mother to her husband or something even more messed up?
Sopranos creator and The Many Saints of Newark co-writer David Chase told The Guardian in 2019 that The Sopranos was inspired by his own complicated relationship with his mother. So whatever the dynamic between young Tony and Livia in The Many Saints of Newark: A Sopranos Story — and how that may or may not have impacted his future relationship with Carmela — Chase probably put a good deal of thought into it.
Farmiga looking like Carmela could just be a classic case of nose doppelgängers. But with all of the therapy Tony needed in his adult years, don't blow by the nose.
Images: HBO Max