Alessandro Nivola, who has appeared in numerous films over the past 25 years, has finally reached his Alessandro Nivola breakout moment with his leading role in the film The Many Saints of Newark. The Boston-born actor’s career has been a steady climb marked by persistence and evolving choices, culminating in this much-anticipated breakthrough in 2021.
Early Career and Challenges
Nivola first gained public attention in 1997 through his role as Pollux Troy, the villainous sibling of Nicolas Cage’s character in John Woo’s action film Face/Off. Despite this early promise, the following decade saw him taking on lead roles in numerous projects that failed to propel him into widespread recognition. During this period, he also spent time working in England, where he met Emily Mortimer, his wife and fellow actress-filmmaker. However, his career momentum was slow, and notable acclaim remained elusive.
The Turning Point: Embracing Collaboration and Visionary Directors
About ten years ago, Nivola decided to shift his approach to acting by accepting any role if the project was led by a director with a unique vision, regardless of the part’s size. This change in attitude helped him release clashes with directors and focus more on collaboration, which revitalized his enthusiasm for filmmaking. His work during this period includes projects with acclaimed directors such as Sally Potter, Ava DuVernay, Nicolas Winding Refn, Barry Levinson, Lynne Ramsay, and Sebastián Lelio.
His commitment to this new approach attracted the attention of David Chase, creator of The Sopranos, who cast Nivola in the lead role of the film prequel The Many Saints of Newark. Chase’s decision was influenced by Nivola’s supporting roles in David O. Russell’s American Hustle and J.C. Chandor’s A Most Violent Year.
“The fact that David wanted to cast me because of two fairly minor roles in good movies definitely is the proof in the pudding of the experiment,”
Nivola remarks with a smile and a shrug during their Zoom conversation.
Bringing Dickie Moltisanti to Life
Co-written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner and directed by Alan Taylor—an Emmy winner for his work on the original series—The Many Saints of Newark explores the backstory of Tony Soprano, the iconic mobster made famous by the late James Gandolfini. Nivola portrays Dickie Moltisanti, Tony’s father figure whose legacy looms large over the series.
Dickie’s character, fully developed independent of prior portrayals, allowed Nivola creative freedom. Chase directly advised him to disregard what was said about Dickie in the original series, telling Nivola,
“everything that was said about [Dickie] in the series”
— by any character — because they’re all liars.
In the film, Dickie is charismatic, impeccably dressed, and exudes confidence, traits that resonate with Nivola’s own demeanor. Yet beneath this facade lies intense emotional turmoil. Nivola describes the character’s complexity as a mix of love and idolatry, rage and disgust, and shock at his own actions. These conflicting emotions shape Dickie’s tragic story and allowed the actor to display a wide range of feelings, from tenderness to sudden eruptions of fury.
Create Depth Through Research and Authenticity
A descendant of the Italian sculptor Costantino Nivola, Alessandro grew up in Boston and Vermont, attending Phillips Exeter Academy and Yale University before launching a career spanning theater, film, and television. His Broadway debut alongside Helen Mirren in A Month in the Country earned him a Drama Desk Award nomination, balancing stage work with screen roles ever since.
“Really good actors are just alive in the moment and feel very spontaneous and unpredictable,”
he explains, emphasizing the need for authenticity regardless of medium.
For The Many Saints of Newark, Nivola dedicated six months to dialect coaching to perfect the authentic vocal patterns required for the New Jersey setting. He also studied men from crime-affected neighborhoods, many of whom had backgrounds in amateur boxing. This study informed his physical portrayal of Dickie, allowing subtle changes in posture that reflected shifting power dynamics during scenes. He notes this aspect added
“a roundedness to their back and shoulders.”
Nivola keeps extensive research materials close by, including books such as Gay Talese’s Honor Thy Father, which explores father-son tensions in the Bonanno crime family, and Al DeMeo’s memoir about his father Roy DeMeo’s life in the Gambino family. These resources helped Nivola understand the complex emotional layers behind the mobster’s world and the fractured father-son relationships.
“In all these father son relationships, there seems to be this paradox,”
he observes, explaining that sons often idolize their fathers’ power but simultaneously resent their abusive behavior. Dickie’s attempt to break this cycle of violence with Tony forms the emotional core of the story, though the outcome is fraught with tragedy.
Life Beyond the Screen and Future Endeavors
This summer, the Brooklyn-based actor spent time in Cleveland, where his children, Sam and May, were filming Netflix’s adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel White Noise alongside Adam Driver. Meanwhile, Emily Mortimer, his wife, premiered her Amazon project The Pursuit of Love. Nivola humorously mentions,
“We’ve been sitting at home in Cleveland waiting for our kids to come home from work,”
highlighting the family’s close involvement in the film industry.
Looking ahead, Nivola intends to maintain his focus on roles that come with engaging directors and innovative visions, regardless of part size. He remains convinced that this path is the most rewarding artistically.
With the remarkable reception to his performance in The Many Saints of Newark, Nivola’s long-awaited breakout moment is now a reality, promising an exciting new chapter for the actor’s career over the coming years.
Personal Insights: Fun Facts and Favorites
In a lighter segment of our conversation, Nivola shared several personal favorites and amusing anecdotes:
Celebrity crush: Robert DeNiro
Last thing before sleep: Worry
Favorite villain: Jabba The Hutt
First album ever owned: The 45 of Centerfold by the J Geils Band
Favorite cheesy pickup line:
“Are you a fart cuz you just blew me away”
— credit to Michael Gandolfini for this one.
If required to spend $1,000 today: 50 tickets to The Many Saints of Newark (and a humorous,
“Is that all 1k gets you?”
)
Place he’s always wanted to visit: The Magic Castle in Hollywood
Fashion regrets: Anything worn in a fashion shoot, particularly clothes that aren’t his own
Favorite joke: A reference to The Tiger’s Revenge by Claude Balls
Favorite Hollywood Chris: Walken
Last time he cried: When landing the part featured in this magazine
Favorite bagel: The Rainbow bagel
