Academy Award nominee Lorraine Bracco (“Goodfellas”) chatted about starring in the new Netflix film “Nonnas,” which debuted at No. 1.
In “Nonnas,” after the loss of his mother, Joe Scaravella (played by Vince Vaughn) risks everything to honor her by opening an Italian restaurant with a group of local grandmothers as the chefs. This movie is based on a true story.
Bracco on ‘Nonnas’
On her new movie “Nonnas,” Bracco said, “It was great fun to make. We all got along. We all had a lot of laughs together. Vince, God bless him, was a saint with all of us, old ladies.”
This Mother’s Day weekend, Netflix audiences skipped the prix fixe brunch and went straight to the Sunday ragù, making the Vince Vaughn–led “Nonnas” —the most-watched English film of the week with 15.3 million views.
“They just told us it’s the No. 1 Netflix movie in the world. How cool is that?” Bracco exclaimed.
Playing Roberta in ‘Nonnas’
On her character Roberta, Bracco said with a sweet laugh, “I enjoy that she was a sourpuss. I thought this role was a lot of fun to play, and that she really didn’t get along with everybody, so I liked that.”
“You never meet my kids in this movie, but you never know what is going to happen,” she added.
Working with the cast of actors
On working with the cast, Bracco said, “I loved working with Susan Sarandon; she’s a great broad. Susan really is… she is smart, beautiful, and loving. She is really a great woman.”
“Talia Shire was magnificent, and so was Brenda Vaccaro. It was an incredible cast of women, and all of us together have an incredible body of work,” she noted.
“The boys loved that, and they wanted to hear stories about all the movies that we made, and the actors and directors that we worked with. The boys were a lot of fun with us,” she admitted.
On working with Joe Manganiello, she exclaimed, “Joe is a great guy, and also he is very handsome.”
“Also, Vince Vaughn is a great guy… he is delicious,” he added.
Lessons learned from this script
On the lessons learned from this screenplay, Bracco said, “This screenplay taught me that I do know how to cook, and that still pleases me.”
Bracco on Joanne Trattoria at the Upper West Side
Most recently, Bracco did a media segment (that aired on Access Hollywood, hosted by Mario Lopez) with Joe Manganiello at Joanne Trattoria at the Upper West Side of New York, which is owned by Joe Germanotta, Lady Gaga’s father.
“It was fun,” Bracco exclaimed about Joanne Trattoria. “Lady Gaga’s dad, Joe, is very fun. Joe is very nice and he’s a lot of fun.”
“Joe made us all kinds of food: pasta, pizza, and eggplant meatballs, which I loved. The table was full! Joe had everything for us. It was very nice that they let us in,” she added.
Future plans
On her future “I have a couple of things in the fire. Nothing is settled or confirmed yet. I am not worried. Projects come in left and right now.”
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she revealed, “More Fun.”
On the best thing about being her age at this stage of her life, she said with a sweet laugh, “I get up every morning.”
Daily motivations
On her daily motivations, she disclosed, “I’m good, I’m healthy, I’m happy, and my garden is looking great.”
“I am going to plant my vegetables soon, so I’m very happy because there are all good things in my life,” she said.
Advice for young and emerging actors
For young and aspiring actors, Bracco said, “Trust yourselves and believe in yourselves. Keep going even if it’s hard.”
Greatest lesson that the acting profession has taught her
On the greatest lesson that the acting profession has taught her, Bracco remarked, “I believe in myself, I’ve been lucky. I’ve gotten great roles from ‘Goodfellas’ to ‘The Sopranos’ to ‘Nonnas.’ That’s three totally different characters that I was lucky enough to create.”
“Acting has given me freedom, a good life, humility, and time to share with my kids. Acting has been very good to me,” she acknowledged.
25+ years of ‘The Sopranos’
Speaking of “The Sopranos,” last summer, the show celebrated its 25th anniversary. “I can’t believe it,” she noted. “Wow! I really can’t believe it. To this day, people are still calling me ‘Doc’ after playing Dr. Jennifer Melfi.”
Bracco had great words about her “Sopranos” co-star Kathrine Narducci. “I love Kathrine. She is a good girl and she is beautiful,” Bracco said.
Key to longevity in the entertainment business
On the key to longevity in the entertainment industry, Bracco responded, “I don’t know. That’s a good question. I guess being good in any of the roles that you take. People recognize that.”
Reflecting over the last three decades
If she were to look back in a rear-view mirror over the last three decades, she reflected, “I see a lot lot of learning experiences, both good and bad.”
“One of the things that was really hard for me was losing my parents. I have grandchildren now, so God works his ways,” she added.
Success
Regarding her definition of the word success, Bracco said, “Success means freedom to travel and do what I want to do when I want to do it.”
Message for her fans
For her fans and supporters, Bracco said, “I’ve been so lucky to have great fans. It has been an incredible journey. I can’t believe it. I love that the fans like what I do, and they relate to the choices I’ve made. It’s really nice; I’ve been lucky.”
Closing thoughts on ‘Nonnas’
For fans and viewers, she concluded about this film, “When people watch ‘Nonnas,’ I hope they walk away happy and hungry. What is great about it is that every culture can relate to this story.”
“Nonnas” is available to stream on Netflix.
To learn more about Lorraine Bracco, follow her on Instagram.
