Michael Gandolfini, son of The Sopranos TV royalty, is carving out his own space in Warfare, a gritty Iraq war docudrama alongside Hollywood’s new wave. But it’s the fellowship of the cast off-screen that has left the biggest mark on the actor, he tells co-star Kit Connor.

In a world where masculinity often gets lost in buzzwords and the chaos of the ‘manosphere’, the need for real, grounded male role models is more crucial than ever. Enter the actors of A24’s Warfare, who, over their press tour, have quietly showcased what positive energy looks like. The cast—from Will Poulter to Charles Melton, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai to Joseph Quinn—have spoken about discipline, equality, camaraderie, and, above all, brotherhood. It’s the kind of bond the Navy SEALs in the film would recognise.

“Some magical thing happened that I can’t even describe,” Michael Gandolfini animatedly tells his Warfare co-star Kit Connor. “I think we just developed a sixth sense for one another. We knew one another.” The two young actors are leisurely lounging on a bed in an undisclosed New York location, getting candid for Michael’s Wonderland Summer 25 feature. The pair became inseparable during the filming of directors Alex Garland and Ray Mendonza’s militant masterpiece, which depicts the bravery and turmoil of a group of Navy SEALs on a surveillance mission gone wrong deep in insurgent territory in Iraq, a true-to-the-fact account from Mendonza’s own perspective. Together, the pair sew a tapestry of trust and friendship that feels, even through a Zoom screen from across the Atlantic Ocean, as authentic as it is engaging. 

Both Michael and Kit have taken Hollywood by storm, their performances in Warfare as Lt. Macdonald and Tommy showing a maturity beyond their years, tackling the atrocities of war and the complexity of humanity. Michael, of course, carries a name that’s known to everyone—his father, James Gandolfini was one of the most iconic actors of his generation, and redefined the role of TV anti-heroes with Tony Soprano in The Sopranos. Michael has followed in James’ footsteps—identically so back in 2021, when he portrayed a younger version of his father’s iconic character in the prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark. Since then, the 25-year-old has developed an astute and promising pathway of his own, impressing with outings in Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid, Bob Marley: One Love, and most recently in a recurring role as ambitious and slippery politician Daniel Blake in Disney’s, Daredevil: Born Again. 

Warfare, though, is arguably Michael’s crowning jewel to date. With critical acclaim, the guidance of legendary filmmaker Alex Garland and an invite to the best cast party of the year, it’s a role that flaunts his adaptability, versatility and development, and points to a future nestled amongst acting’s elite for decades to come. Stopping off on route to the summit, Michael reveals all to his co-star and pal Kit—talking about their relationship, role models, and cryptically rank their Warfare brothers.  

Kit Connor: Now, Michael, you and I, we’re very close friends.

Michael Gandolfini: This is true.

KC: Do you remember where we first met?

MG: We met at [American restaurant] The Grey Dog. We had texted a bit, and then you were [in New York] doing some press for Romeo and Juliet. So we got together. You ordered fries.

KC: And a coffee.

MG: What did I get, an omelette?

KC: No, you got a Mexican bowl and a Diet Coke, I think. What first impression did you have of me? Did you foresee our closeness?

MG: We had a very nice lunch and I was very excited to do Warfare with you. But as bootcamp began, we weren’t necessarily…

KC: We were as close as everyone was, but we didn’t leap into it.

MG: Totally. And then, I don’t think we can pinpoint the specific day, but I started hopping in your car a lot more when we’d go places. And then, really quickly on set, we just became locked in.

KC: That’s true. And how, Michael, would you describe our relationship now?

MG: [We’re] brotherly soulmates who giggle and dance.

KC: Ain’t that the truth. We’re coming to the end of our press tour. Did you have a favourite location?

MG: We had a really special night in San Diego. I remember you and I sitting in that booth thinking, ‘This is pretty unbelievable.’ We got to go to a very famous bar that all the SEALs go to, and had the names of fallen SEALs up on the wall. Just being there with Ray Mendoza and some of the other men we represent in the film was a really special moment.

KC: Yeah. So, Warfare—wonderful Warfare—is a brilliant film and it’s a wonderful cast of people. You and I were surrounded by such amazing actors. How did you feel rubbing shoulders with some of Hollywood’s brightest upcoming stars?

MG: Unbelievable. Not only was everyone so aggravatingly talented, but they were all such good men. You just walked around thinking, ‘If I can be friends or brothers with any of these guys, my life would be that much better.’ I learned so much from all of them. I’ve done films and projects that in some ways would be described as high pressure or intense—like playing my dad’s character Tony and things like that. Warfare had such a high responsibility, but it felt so natural because of the guys. We just felt so lifted up and protected.

KC: How did you find working with the dual directorship of Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza?

MG: I really loved it. I think they masterfully balanced the positions. Ray had such an insight—not only because he had lived it, but he had a beautiful way of directing actors. One of the things that I really responded to was: instead of telling us a necessary direction, he would tell us a story or provide context, and it just filled everything in. Alex is such a director of restraint. He really helps you depict things in a subtle way. And he knows how to capture it too.

KC: Amazing. And you are also starring in the Daredevil resurgence. How do you feel being a part of that story with that group of people? You’re rubbing shoulders with some incredibly talented people yet again. You get to film in your home city too.

MG: It feels great. I watched it when I was a kid, and one year I even dressed up as the Punisher. I had this punching bag in my backyard and I would tackle it and film myself in slow motion and edit it [both laugh]. So, I was a big fan. I get to play a character who I found incredibly relatable in some ways and toxic in others—this insatiable need for power and to rise in the ranks of politics. Someone described him as an optimist recently, and now that I think about it, I agree, and that’s really fun to play. He’s bashfully positive. And to work with Vincent D’Onofrio every day was a true gift. He helps in so many ways and guides you. It’s rare that you have that chemistry with another actor.

KC: Would you say that you have any particular role models inside or outside the industry?

MG: There’s a few. Jon Bernthal is a remarkable man and artist. Will Poulter is a big role model for us both, I think. Chris Bauer, who is the first really professional actor I got to work with, is definitely a role model. And I’d say you, dude, you inspire me a lot, truly.

KC: Thanks, man, likewise. Now listen, what do you want to achieve in your career? How do you see yourself as an actor growing?

MG: Fundamentally, I get a lot of my creative enjoyment through the act of helping people. So, to work with people I really respect and know that I’ve fulfilled a piece of this bigger thing to me is amazing, it’s really exciting. In regard to roles, I’ve gone back and watched a lot of older movies, and the heroes are often men and women in positions like doctors, lawyers, businessmen, or mums and dads. They’re heroic for what they do as people, and I’m really attracted to that.

KC: I’ve got some quickfire questions: favourite actor?

MG: Jack Nicholson. Jessica Chastain.

KC: Favourite director?

MG: One?!

KC: Let’s say a favourite, not the favourite.

MG: I’ll say Derek Cianfrance.

KC: I want you to rate the Heartstopper—oh not the Heartstopper…[both laugh] the Warfare cast. That’s just the kind of question I’d get for Heartstopper.

MG: Rate them?

KC: I’ll throw some names out and you give me a one to ten. Will Poulter? But you can’t give the same rating to someone else [chuckles mischievously]. I just made this up.

MG: I’ll say two.

KC: Woah. D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai?

MG: Four.

KC: Charles Melton?

MG: Oh man, three.

KC: Joseph Quinn?

MG: One.

KC: Me?

MG: Ten.

KC: Well. You have been Michael Gandolfino. 

MG: I have, and you’ve been Kit Conrad [both smile at the camera].

Photography by Gabriel Perez Silva
Styling by Bin X Nguyen
Interview by Kit Connor
Words by Ben Tibbits
Grooming by Jamie Taylor at A-Frame Agency
Photography Assistant Chloe Norris
Videography Elizabeth Weinberg