The Sopranos alum Jamie-Lynn Sigler has shared an incredible revelation about her on-screen father, James Gandolfini, following his passing in 2013 from a heart attack.
During an episode of Justin Long‘s Life Is Short podcast, Sigler discussed her career and battle with multiple sclerosis. She revealed that Gandolfini was the only person on The Sopranos set whom she confided in about her diagnosis.
“He took me aside one day and asked, ‘Jamie, what’s going on?’” she recalled. “I just fell apart in his arms. I was so scared, but I had to tell him about my MS because I didn’t know how to tell anyone else. He assured me that my secret was safe with him.”
Sigler portrayed Meadow Soprano in the HBO series, the daughter of Gandolfini’s character Tony Soprano. She described Gandolfini as always being “protective” and supportive of her, but it wasn’t until after his death that she learned he had been quietly donating to MS organizations on her behalf.
“I discovered that he had been making donations to MS organizations for me,” the Big Sky star shared.
Anthony Neste/©HBO/Courtesy Everett Collection
Sigler also discussed the challenges she faced during the filming of the show’s fifth season in 2004.
“I was going through a divorce, but I kept it to myself,” she revealed. “The MS was starting to affect me, particularly my bladder. I had to interrupt takes to use the restroom, and people were wondering what was wrong with me.”
“Nobody else asked me, except Jim [Gandolfini],” she added.
She spoke of Gandolfini’s assistance, mentioning how he provided his acting coach to help her gain confidence in her performance. She emphasized the significance of his support given her deep respect for him.
“I’ve never seen an actor work as hard as Jim Gandolfini did,” she said. “He dedicated every Sunday to learning all of his lines for the entire week.”
Currently, Sigler co-hosts the MeSsy podcast with Christina Applegate, who also has MS, where they discuss the disease, share personal experiences, and provide support to others facing similar challenges.
“We started [the podcast] about a year ago, recording weekly,” Sigler told People in March. “We’re sharing our deepest selves — something I avoided for a long time, making this a healing experience for me.”
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