Latest news with #Pantoliano
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Joe Pantoliano May Finally Get HBO, Thanks to ‘The Last of Us' Creator Craig Mazin: ‘They Never Gave It to Me When I Did The Sopranos!'
It's Not TV, so maybe that's why Joey Pants can't get his HBO? 'The Last of Us' Season 2 guest star Joe Pantoliano had previously told Variety he doesn't subscribe to the pay cabler, which is why he wasn't familiar with the series when he was approached to pay the role of Eugene. As of this weekend, he still doesn't have an HBO subscription — but now 'The Last of Us' creator Craig Mazin plans to do something about it. 'I say ignorance is bliss. I don't have HBO. I hope nobody from HBO is here,' quipped Pantoliano, speaking during 'The Last of Us' panel at the Television Academy's Televerse festival on Saturday. HBO organized the panel, so of course they were there! More from Variety Kristen Bell on Why Audiences Swoon Over That First 'Nobody Wants This' Kiss: 'Comfort Can Be Incredibly Passionate' 'The Last of Us' Star Bella Ramsey on If They're In Season 3, Neil Druckmann's Departure and Making Emmy History 'The Last of Us' Video Game Scripts to Be Released in New Book From Creator Naughty Dog, Dark Horse (EXCLUSIVE) It was unclear if Mazin had heard this anecdote before, but he appeared to be incredulous at the news: 'You don't have HBO?! We can get you HBO!' Responded Pantoliano: 'I've been sulking for the last 25 years because they never gave it to me when I did 'The Sopranos'!' Pantoliano, of course, played Ralph 'Ralphie' Cifaretto in Seasons 3 and 4 of 'The Sopranos' until, well, he runs afoul of Tony. 'You're saying they wouldn't give Ralphie HBO?' Mazin said on stage. 'That's fucked up!' 'The Last of Us' executive producer — and video game creator — Neil Druckmann had another solution for Pantoliano, who admitted that he also never played the game: 'We're gonna get you a PlayStation before you get HBO.' Pantoliano appears in the Season 2, Episode 6 flashback episode, where viewers learn what created a rift between Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey). Pantoliano's character Eugene is the husband to town psychologist Gail (Catherine O'Hara). While on Ellie's first patrol, she and Joel find whoEugene, who's just been bitten by an infected and will succumb to the cordyceps fungus shortly. He begs Joel and Ellie to take him to the outer walls so he can have a last moment with Gail. Joel says no, but Ellie convinces Joel to break the rules to bring him back. But when Ellie goes off to retrieve her and Joel's horses, Joel — who had promised not to shoot Eugene — does so anyway. 'So Greg and Neil, we had a phone conversation, and they sent me two of the scripts, and then I read my scenes, and I remember thinking that there was more to this character and much more of a challenge for an actor than the last 20 years I've been in show business,' Pantoliano said. 'There was so much there to to test me. And then, the simple stuff of 'who am I? Where and I?' What spoke to me the most is the human element of like, 'this could happen toanyone.' It's happening every day. People die, and see their life in a blink of an eye. I woke up, I had coffee with my wife, I went on patrol and then I got bit, and I know I have to die. I have a last request. And so it was very emotional. But I gotta say, Neil [Druckmann] beat the shit out of me, and he knew what he wanted.' Added Druckmann, who directed that episode: 'Joey was so fun to work with, because as long as we had ideas, we kept exploring and digging and finding. And it was such a joy to find the character in the moment. Because initially, the way it was written, there was some comic relief lines in there that were just excised in the moment. It didn't work the way you were playing it.' As for what's to come in Season 3 as Kaitlyn Dever (who plays Abby) moves into more of a lead role, Dever said that 'we're getting to the real core of Abby in this season, and really giving her some context. Because in the game, she does sort of appear, and you don't know who she is, where she's coming from, why she killed Joel. I feel like we're really getting to the core of the why, and her grief is what fuels that rage. I have not been told with what we're doing for Season 3… I'm just so grateful to be a part of such a beautiful show. I've been such a fan of the game for so long. I played it twice all the way through with my dad. He's a big fan girl over this game. So I'm just grateful to get to continue that journey for Abby and dig even deeper to twhat drives her and just how broken she is. Maybe she's not all that different from the other human beings in the show.' Hinted Mazin: 'Knowing that I've got this pillar in Kaitlyn that is going to anchor this cast, and knowing that I can turn again to [production designer] Don [MacAulay] to build this physical world around us, and it is going to be quite ambitious. We've had meetings already, he knows, and [VFX producer] Alex [Wang] is going to extend those beyond and there's creature work. If you play the game, you know there's something coming. We've done a lot of talk about basements, that's all I'll say.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in August 2025 What's Coming to Netflix in August 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Major Sopranos star joins list of celebs fleeing US over Trump as he says he's 'running for the hills'
Sopranos star Joe Pantoliano has joined a growing list of celebrities fleeing the United States due to the current presidential administration. The 73-year-old New Jersey native and wife Nancy Sheppard are considering ditching their American life in favor of a fresh start in Portugal. Pantoliano said this week at the Tucci in Italy premiere: 'I'm so uncomfortable with the nature of what's happening in our country, and I just want to run for the hills.' The longtime actor said he's struggling to prioritize his work amid the state of the political climate. He explained to Page Six: 'It's hard for me to think about people's bulls*** like making a TV show. The world is on fire; it's hard for me to concentrate.' Joe pictured with the late James Gandolfini in The Sopranos Pantoliano shared that he and Nancy, whom he wed in 1994, and are considering relocating there. 'We just got back. We really love it there,' he gushed of the country. Taking to Instagram in April, he wrote to his 115,000 followers that the spot is 'our favorite European getaway' and described their vacation as 'wonderful.' Joe mentioned Portugal's recent 18-hour power outage, which he suspects was the result of a 'cyber attack.' He predicted, 'I think that's just a rehearsal for what will happen here [in the United States].' To that point, the Hollywood vet added, 'I keep a lot of cash at home — not a lot, but enough to get me going for a couple of weeks,' warning potential thieves, 'It's buried and there's no map!' If he does decide to upend his American life, he will join celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi, designer Tom Ford, plus Ryan Gosling and wife Eva Mendes, who have fled America for the UK. Pantoliano shared a solemn video with social media followers on Friday, stating, 'Nancy and I were in Portugal for a couple of weeks. 'We actually looked into getting visas so that we could live there part of the time, or most of the time.' He continued, 'It's a great place to retire. It suits me. I love to walk; I take amazing walks there.' Turning to the blackouts, the actor advised his followers: 'My suggestion is to stop bulking up and go online and figure out how you can get a first aid kit, batteries, a flashlight, books, games, cards because we won't have any way to communicate with each other.' He then quipped, 'That might be nice, actually.' The post was captioned with a stark waning: 'Keep your eyes open!' Back in February Pantoliano gushed over his wife, paying tribute to her on Valentine's Day with two photos.
Fox News
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
'Sopranos' star eyes move abroad after feeling 'uncomfortable' in the US under Trump administration
Joe Pantoliano is looking for a change of scenery. The Emmy award-winning actor, who starred as Ralph "Ralphie" Cifaretto in 21 episodes of the HBO drama "The Sopranos," admitted that he's not happy with the current administration and President Donald Trump. Pantoliano, 73, told his social media followers that he's even taken the steps to get out of the country and secure visas in Portugal. While attending the "Tucci in Italy" premiere in New York earlier this week, the "Memento" star gave insight toward the current political climate. "I'm so uncomfortable with the nature of what's happening in our country, and I just want to run for the hills," Pantoliano told Page Six. "It's hard for me to think about people's bulls--t like making a TV show. The world is on fire, it's hard for me to concentrate." Pantoliano and his wife, Nancy Sheppard, recently returned from a trip to Portugal, and they're thinking of planting new roots abroad. "We just got back. We really love it there," he said before expressing concerns about the power grid following last month's 18-hour blackout, which affected both Spain and Portugal. "They just got hit with a cyberattack, and I think that's just a rehearsal for what will happen here," he said. Pantoliano admitted that that reason alone was enough for him to "keep a lot of cash at home, not a lot but enough to get me going for a couple [of] weeks." He insisted the amount wasn't easy to find, though, and that it's "buried and there's no map." The "Matrix" actor caught up with his Instagram followers on Friday and revealed that he's very serious about fleeing the states. "We actually looked into getting visas so that we could live there part of the time, or most of the time. its a great place to retire," he said. "It's just, it suits me. I love to walk … I take amazing walks there. They had a blackout, I mean, all of Spain … half of Europe, France, Spain, Portugal." Spain's Interior Ministry declared a state of emergency after a massive power outage hit Spain and Portugal on Monday, knocking out traffic lights and forcing the evacuation of subway systems in both countries, among other disruptions. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez later said a problem in the European grid that he described as a "strong oscillation" was behind the outage, but that the cause was still being determined. Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica said that restoring power to the country and neighboring Portugal could take six to 10 hours. "I dunno, maybe it's a dress rehearsal for what's going to happen here," Pantoliano said. "You gotta think about that. You've got to think about our future, why is all of this happening? I'm very confused … and I wish I could understand why this is happening." "The Fugitive" star may join a growing list of celebrities fleeing the United States. Rosie O'Donnell confirmed her move to Ireland in March, saying she left the U.S. days before Trump's inauguration, and explained that the new location would be a good fit for her 12-year-old son, Clay. During a recent appearance on Ireland's "Late Late Show," she discussed her recent decision to move and her longstanding feud with Trump. When asked about her decision to move to Ireland, she also said, "The President of the United States has it out for me and has for 20 years," later adding that "he sort of uses me as a punchline whenever he feels the need." Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi sold their Montecito estate in August and purchased a farmhouse in the U.K. after Trump's successful bid to return to the White House during the 2024 presidential election.
Hindustan Times
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Is Joe Pantoliano fleeing to Portugal with family? Sopranos star says ‘world is on fire' amid Trump's presidency
Joe Pantoliano, a former cast member of 'Sopranos,' is the most recent star to consider relocating overseas following President Donald Trump's return to the White House. The actor said he finds it hard to concentrate on his work when he watches the news about the present administration. In the 'Tucci in Italy' premiere, he told Page Six: 'I'm so uncomfortable with the nature of what's happening in our country, and I just want to run for the hills.' Moving further, he clarified that It's difficult for him to consider people's 'bulls–t like making a TV show'. He added that he finds it difficult to focus since 'the world is on fire.' Pantoliano revealed that he recently came back from Portugal with his wife, Nancy Sheppard, and that they are considering moving there. Expressing concerns over the recent 18-hour power outage that struck Spain and Portugal last month, he said, 'We really love it there.' Claiming that Portugal had 'a cyberattack', he went on to claim that 'and I think that's just a rehearsal for what will happen here.' He further revealed why he keeps 'a lot of cash at home,' adding that 'not a lot but enough to get me going for a couple of weeks.' If he decided to relocate to Europe, Pantoliano would join an increasing number of celebrities who have left the US after the election. Also Read: Rosie O'Donnell apologizes to Ireland PM just months after fleeing to Island nation from US; Here's what went wrong Following Trump's return to power, Ellen DeGeneres and her spouse, Portia de Rossi, shifted to the UK and started residing in the rural areas of the nation. While the couple bought their house in the UK before the 2024 presidential election, Trump's win is said to have solidified their determination to 'get the hell out' of America. Later, Rosie O'Donnell decided to relocate to Ireland after being harassed at a supermarket when she was with her youngest kid, Clay. Taking to TikTok in March, O'Donnell wrote, 'I feel healthier [and] I'm sleeping better without the stress and anxiety over what was happening politically in the country.' Stressing that Clay is fine, she revealed the pain of leaving her own country. 'It's not easy to move to another country and we really felt as a family this was the safest and best thing for us to do.'
