Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Many Saints of Newark’s William Ludwig

William Ludwig is a rising star who’s playing young Tony Soprano in The Many Saints of Newark.

Now in theaters and on HBO Max, The Many Saints of Newark is the highly-anticipated prequel to David Chase’s groundbreaking, award-winning HBO drama series The Sopranos.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with William about getting his start in the business, The Many Saints of Newark, and his love for Wes Anderson films.

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
William: Ever since preschool, I’ve always loved acting. I saw my friend in a Halloween commercial once, and I thought that was the coolest thing ever. My parents weren’t so sure about the whole kid actor thing, so they were like, “I don’t know,” but they knew I loved acting, so they let me go to summer camps and acting camps and do after-school activities with acting.

Then this one year, the director of the camp told my mom that she has a connection with an agent. She asked if I wanted to go and try out for them. I was like, “Yes, please! That would be amazing.” They were like, “Okay, fine. We’ll see what comes from it. You never know.”

I go to the audition for the agent, and they signed me. I started going on audition after audition after audition like any other person trying to be an actor would. After two years, this finally came along.

PC: When you look at your career as a whole, who or what has had the biggest influence either personally or professionally?
William: That’s a great question. My dad always helps me with my auditions. He’s on the other side of the industry; he does marketing, and he’s done commercials in the past. He knows a little bit about what casting directors are looking for, especially for commercials.

PC: You’re starting your career at such a young age. Is it ever a challenge balancing your career and then also just life as a normal teenager?
William: My mom talked to me about something called compartmentalization. She has me visualize all these boxes. I’ll take my Many Saints of Newark box, and I’ll have all those thoughts in there, and I’ll put it away in a locket and focus on my school box and open that. That’s really helped me a lot, because whenever I’m flustered, my mom will be like, “Compartmentalize. Come on. You can do it. You got this.” That’s really helped me a lot.

PC: You’re joining The Sopranos family with The Many Saints of Newark. What does this milestone mean to you, and how did you celebrate the news of landing the role?
William: Well, I was doing my math homework in my bedroom. My mom comes in, and she has her phone out. My little brother is sitting on the bed. He’s like, “Mom, why are you recording?” She was trying to hide her phone. She handed me this envelope, and it reads, “Congrats, William. We’re so f-in excited for you. You booked the role of young Tony Soprano in The Many Saints of Newark.” I freaked out. I started crying. We ordered sushi to celebrate. It was a great day.

PC: Did you feel any nerves heading into this project, just playing such an iconic character and joining such a popular franchise? What was that preparation like?
William: In the beginning, I was super nervous because the series ended the year I was born. I had a little bit of understanding of what The Sopranos was, but I didn’t truly get it until we started telling people that I booked it, because they would start freaking out. They would be like, “Oh my God. Oh my God. You got The Sopranos? This is so huge.”

I didn’t know how amazing it was until I started talking with people like Michael Gandolfini, who reached out the second I booked the role. He really helped me understand who Tony is as a person and what he means to so many people around the world. That really helped solidify how I felt about the character. Someone else who really helped me was my dialect coach, Kohli Calhoun, because she had me go around the house pointing at certain things, because she wanted me to practice my Italian accent.

One of my scenes has a lot of F-bombs. She needed me to start practicing saying the F-word correctly in an Italian accent. She had me go around my house, pointing at certain things and say, “F-in computer. F-in dog. F-in couch. F-in chair.” My parents were like, “Please, William. We’re trying to work. Your brother has homework. He can’t be hearing this stuff.” I was like, “I’m so sorry. This is my work. I’ve got to do it.” They were like, “Fine.” [laughs]

PC: We’re seeing a different side to Tony with your portrayal. What was more challenging: tapping into his innocence or the physicality of the role?
William: I’d say the innocence was a lot harder to embody because I watched all of the first four seasons of The Sopranos and then a few other episodes throughout the series. I saw Tony as this big, scary mobster guy. But in reality, deep down Tony wants to do the right thing. At a young age, he’s so innocent; he doesn’t know what his life’s going to become. He’s just observing the people around him and mimicking their actions at a later date.

PC: This is your feature film debut. Did anything surprise you about the process? What was the biggest thing you learned about your craft?
William: That’s a great question. I got a really valuable piece of advice from Ray Liotta. We had two scenes together, and one time, he sat down with me and told me that we should never take ourselves too seriously because we have an awesome job. We’re so lucky to have it. What we’re doing is we’re just playing pretend. We’re putting some gel in our hair and wearing a costume. We’re going out there and playing pretend. We’re doing what we love, and that’s something special. It doesn’t mean that we’re better than anyone else.

PC: Is there a particular scene that you’re really excited for your fans to see? What was the most challenging to film?
William: I’m really excited for people to see the scene that I have with Alessandro Nivola. Alessandro plays Dickie Moltisanti, who the movie’s about. We have a scene that’s in Tony’s bedroom after he gets suspended from school. It’s a heart-to-heart convo between him and Dickie. Dickie’s like, “Hey, man, you can’t do this. You can’t get suspended from school.” He goes on and on about how Tony’s not doing the right thing. Then at the end, they pinky swear. That’s a big moment that comes up later in the film. I’m excited for fans to see that.

PC: What do you hope audiences take away after they see the film?
William: This is a really awesome mob movie. You don’t have to be a Sopranos fan to see this, though you definitely catch a bunch of Easter eggs if you are. But I’m really excited for people to see this awesome mob movie because it’s so much fun. You’ll be on the edge of your seat. You have to cover your eyes for some parts that can be a bit too much for some people. I hope everybody enjoys this and likes this movie. Maybe we’ll even get some new Sopranos fans from this.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Favorite TV show?
William: The Other Two.

PC: Favorite movie?
William: The Grand Budapest Hotel. I love Wes Anderson, and I love his color palettes and everything like that.

PC: Favorite book?
William: Refugee.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
William: Be More Chill.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
William: I listen to a lot of oldies.

PC: Dream role?
William: I want to be in a Wes Anderson movie.

To keep up with William, follow him on Instagram. Watch The Many Saints of Newark on HBO Max today.

Photo Credit: Barry Wetcher