Samson Moeakiola - Tongan actor cast as Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero in Sopranos prequel film
Watch the trailer (above and below) to the highly anticipated prequel film to cult classic series "The Sopranos" which is out this Friday in the US and stars young Tongan actor Samson Moeakiola.
"The Many Saints of Newark" has been described as a prequel to 'The Sopranos' set against the Newark race riots and focuses on charming, sociopath mobster Dickie Moltisanti. (The father of Christopher, Tony’s right-hand man in the original Sopranos series).
Samson Moeakiola plays a young Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero, a New Jersey mafia lieutenant who works for Dickie Moltisanti. Vincent Pastore played Pussy in the original Sopranos series where he worked for Tony.
Samson shared in a Rolling Stone interview that he was able to spend time with the OG "Big Pussy" Vincent Pastore and called him a mentor.
Pastore would record all of the young Pussy’s dialogue for him to listen to before each filming day. “Everybody else around me already had big resumes, and this was my first job,” he says. “So without his support, I would have felt really insecure.”
Samson is half Tongan and half Italian and got into acting by chance.
He was studying Communications at Arizona State University when a friend of his who was a Film Major, needed his help in a film he was making for school. The film was entered into the Arizona International Film Festival and Samson Best Actor. He still had 2 years left to go on his degree but decided to pack up, move to Los Angeles & try make it in Hollywood.
While in LA he picked up roles on Hawai'i Five-O and the movie Oh, Baby! which aired last year and then landed the role of "Big Pussy" - he talks about getting the role in an interview with co-star Joey Diaz here.
Check out this interview with Samson below where he talks about being a production assistant for ESPN when he was at college getting to cover the NBA finals and Super Bowl, playing rugby, the Tongan Sipi Tau and more.
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Rolling Stone photo of Samson and the rest of the cast including well known actors Ray Liotta, Vera Farmiga, Jon Bernthal, Leslie Odom Jr and the Sopranos & Many Saints of Neward creator David Chase.
"The Many Saints of Newark" is out in theatres and HBO Max in the US this Friday the 1st of October. It hits theatre screens in New Zealand on the 4th of November.
