Michael Gandolfini has never watched his father's hit show 'The Sopranos'

Newcomer Michael Gandolfini says he had never watched the popular HBO crime drama "The Sopranos" before he auditioned for its prequel film for the role of Tony Soprano, a part that is still synonymous with his father, the late James Gandolfini.

Titled "The Many Saints of Newark", the prequel film will see Michael portray the younger version of Tony Soprano. He admitted that it was not an easy process to get into the character.

"The funny thing is, before the audition, I had never watched a minute of 'The Sopranos'. I was just a kid when he was making it. I would go to the set and ask him what it was about, and he'd say, 'Oh, it's about this guy who's in the mob and kind of goes to therapy'," the 19-year-old actor told Esquire magazine.

"The hardest part of this whole process was watching the show for the first time. It was an intense process. Because, as an actor, I had to watch this guy who created the role, to look for mannerisms, voice, all those things I would have to echo. But then I'd also be seeing my father," he added.

And watching his father on screen all alone made things more hard for him, Michael said.

"I was just sitting alone in my dark apartment, watching my dad all the time. I started having crazy dreams. I had one where I auditioned for David (Chase) and I looked down at my hands, and they were my dad's hands," he added.

"The Many Saints of Newark", written by David Chase, the original creator of the show, is being directed by Alan Taylor. The film's cast also includes Alessandro Nivola, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen and Ray Liotta.

It will release in September 2020.