I don't know what happened before this video or afterwards but he clearly is channeling his inner Tony Soprano at this moment.

Gandolfini assaults photog?

Photographer: "Relax man."
Other people: "Jim, don't, Jim don't."
Gandolfini: "I don't wanna relax. Stay the fuck away from me, okay? ... Gonna break your fucking face."
Woman (photographer's mother?!?! Why was she there?!): "Get away from my son!"

I keep trying to find out what happened before the (pushing match? punch? )
Gandolfini must know that as a public figure there will be people watching him. And he was on the street, not on his private property or at a relative's house or something.

On the other hand I can't begin to imagine what it would be like to have somebody following you around every minute of the day.

We've got to be careful not only about the use of violence, but our approbation of it in circumstances since there are those who would interpret that circumstantial approbation as a green light to use it with the least little provocation. However, I have absolutely no sympathy for any papparazzi who get creamed.

Heh, i was about to post this. Shades of Tony Soprano or what?

I'm pretty sure thats Jim's mother telling the pap to "Stay away from my son!" You can see her trying to block the pap's view.

Is that his mother? Oh.

No it wasn't Gandolfini's mother nor was she the mother of the pap.
She was JG's ex-wife. And what she meant was that the pap should stay away from the son of her and JG.

We don't know what happened before that. But I'm sure there must have been something before this otherwise he wouldn't react like this.

i dont have anythin against Mr.Gandolfini, i think hes a great actor. but i personally did see him once, around 10th street in manhattan, he looks alot slimmer in person (yea i know, that tv adds), he was tall too.... i didnt approach him, and didnt want to... i personally have never gotten starstruck with anyone. theres people that i admire yes, but i wont go up to them, and get on my knees either. he didnt really look friendly in the face, and everyone on the sidewalk was just starin at him walkin down the street. i just saw him as we were walkin by each other, and he looked at me and that was it, i didnt stop to stare, because i think its rude to stare at anyone...and that was it no big deal.

The guy values his privacy. Which is why he doesn't do too many interviews.

If I was a pap, I would think twice about filming JG. He's an intimidating dude. It would be crazy to see him though, he's played Tony for so long it would be like seeing an actual mob boss.

All in all a pretty ugly scene. I wish I never watched it because we always heard Gandolfini was nothing like the character he portrayed in Sopranos. However, it looked like a clip of him in full Tony.

Actually, from an observer's standpoint, I've been so starved for anything Sopranos since 2007 it's kind of cool to see "Tony" in action. I know that sounds bad, but it's the way it is.

You're right though Paddy, god damn it's hard without something new. Nothing seems to be able to fill the Sopranos void on television.

http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/soa/