Julia Louis-Dreyfus: James Gandolfini Was ‘One Of The Great American Actors’

Julia Louis-Dreyfus has nothing but love for the late James Gandolfini. According to the actress, he was “one of the great American actors.”

The former Seinfeld star and the Sopranos alum appeared together in writer-director Nicole Holofcene’s Enough Said. The film serves as the actor’s final cinematic endeavor.

During her appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival, Julia Louis-Dreyfus said working with James Gandolfini was nothing short of a “dream.”

“[Gandolfini] was one of the great American actors. I think that’s not an exaggeration to say in any way. I had a couple of moments working with him where I will admit I thought, ‘I can’t believe I’m looking into this face.’ Because what a face. But he was incredibly hard-working; very, very self-effacing,” the actress said during the festival.

She continued, ” A lot of certain insecurities I found particularly endearing and sort of perfect for the part. It was interesting because we didn’t know each other particularly well to begin with, but we liked each other a lot from the get-go. As we were working on things… it was fun.”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus said the relationship she developed with James Gandolfini over the course of filming contributed greatly to their performances on-screen.

“By the time we got towards the end of the movie when there is the [emotional] scene in the kitchen and so on, we talked a lot about the layers that went into that and it was really a very exciting, creative journey to take with him and I will never forget him,” she explained.

You can check out the trailer for director Nicole Holofcene’s Enough Said below. The flick is presently showing in select theaters across the nation now.

Are you a fan of Julia Louis-Dreyfus? Do you agree that James Gandolfini was “one of the great American actors”?

[Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures]