Steven Van Zandt Consulted on ‘Sopranos’ Prequel ‘The Many Saints of Newark’

Just like any good consigliere would, Steven Van Zandt said he was called in by David Chase to give some thoughts on the upcoming Sopranos prequel, The Many Saints of Newark.

In a recent interview on SiriusXM, the actor-musician who is best known for playing Silvio Dante on the classic HBO program said that while he does not appear in the film (which makes sense as the character is just a youth in the picture, played by John Magaro) Van Zandt was asked by series creator Chase to take a look at the material and share his thoughts.

“I saw several of the early cuts,” Van Zandt said. “He’s been tinkering now with it for a couple of years. So it may be a whole different movie by the time I see it again. He wanted me and [wife and fellow Sopranos actress] Maureen to see it and give him some input. Silvio is in it, just 30 years earlier.”

Van Zandt mentioned that he was not asked about the music, which he said was Chase’s favorite part to experiment with in his creations. “That’s the love of his life, doing the music, so he didn’t need me for that,” said Van Zandt, who is a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.

The Many Saints of Newark is due out Oct. 1.

Watch the segment below.