Senior Planet Talks to…Lorraine Bracco

Sopranos star Lorraine Bracco, 71, became a household name after playing a mob wife in Martin Scorsese’s seminal 1990 film Goodfellas.   Today she plays a mother-of-five with two adult kids still stuck at home in the heartwarming comedy, The Mother, The Menacer and Me.

In her role, she disapproves of son-in-law Eddie, who she believes is failing her daughter with his impossible dreams of becoming a Hollywood horror director….but in real life, the four-time Emmy nominee and grandmother loves having her family home  – telling SENIOR PLANET why her motto in life is “joy.”

Q: Your character Nancy in The Mother, The Menacer, and Me wrestles with the idea of moving into a senior living home. Is that something you’ve considered in real life?

LORRAINE: I think as long as you’re young and vibrant, you should be able to try and stay in your own house. But I think, if you need care, you should go. I think also maybe a lot of people are lonely, so that would solve a lot of issues for them. We don’t want people to be lonely so I think that’s a big draw of those homes.

Q: Nancy is experiencing a similar scenario to what we see today – adult children returning home due to the rising cost of living. What do you think?

LORRAINE: I get it. It’s not easy. But what’s the alternative? That they should live in the street?

Here’s a sneak peek at the trailer:

Q: Your daughters Margaux Guerard, 46 [dad is French businessman Daniel Guerard] and Stella Keitel, 39, [dad is Harvey Keitel] have each made you a grandmother so you must enjoy having them home?

LORRAINE: I love when my kids come and I love even more when the grandkids come. That’s my favorite. I have a 12 year old, a six year old and a two year old – and that’s a huge joy. My god, they’re so fun and smart.  And the two year old is my first boy. He’s Stella’s boy, but he’s mine! He’s my little prince. The grandkids bring another dimension of who you are, and what you’ve accomplished, and where you are in your life and I’m very happy. As a grandmother, I have the easy job, but I remember it not being easy [as a mother], and fumbling – you fumble!

Q: Both your girls had small roles in Goodfellas as children. Are they still acting?

LORRAINE: Stella is a forensic clinical psychiatrist. She’s got her own practice and a coaching company. She’s a very busy girl. And Margaux is in business. She consults with a lot of makeup companies from Europe – many French companies, because she’s fluent in French. My kids are busy and successful.

Q: You’ve enjoyed such a brilliant career. Do you have a favorite film?

LORRAINE: I loved making Someone to Watch Over Me with Ridley Scott, – that was a great experience. I also loved making Nonnas with Vince Vaughn and the girls. It was a lot of fun for me. It’s been a long career, and you’re in different parts of your life while making many of these movies. People think it’s easy and it’s the red carpet but they don’t realize that you get up at 4am to go to hair and makeup and learn your lines and dealing with other people. But I’ve been lucky,

I’ve only had one or two not great experiences making movies, but otherwise, I’ve had a great time. And the other thing is that, you always go in with 120% – you want to give it your all –  but you are not the the boss and in the editing, lots of scenes are cut, so that’s disappointing. But overall, I honestly can say, I’ve loved making movies.

Q: Which roles are you most recognized from?

LORRAINE: It’s gonna be The Sopranos. And then Goodfellas, and now Nonnas. It’s cute. You know, 2.3 billion people watched Nonnas worldwide. It resonated with people. I’m also so happy for The Mother, The Menacer, and Me, because it has kind of the same elements. It’s family, it’s fun, it’s relatable. But there’s something about the film too that is lovely and charming. And I love the cast. It’s a brand new cast. You’ll be seeing a lot more of them.

Q: You pioneered playing strong women. Were you aware that you were breaking the mold at the time?

LORRAINE: I don’t know if I was breaking a mold. I just followed my truth. Well, I had a script, and I followed that, but maybe I pushed certain aspects of it – but, yeah, I don’t take shit from anybody.

Q; What’s your fondest memory of your late great Sopranos co-star James Gandolfini?

LORRAINE: Well, I have a million, but I could say this about James Gandolfini – He was delicious. He was kind and sweet and fun, a great sense of humor. He was very serious about acting. He was no joke. And once we got into that room and sat in those chairs, we were special. We were special, yeah.

Q: You’re a long-time Hamptons resident but do you still have your home in Sicily?

LORRAINE: I do. I remodeled it. I did it all. It’s so crazy, because I finished it right before Covid, and then for two and a half years, it sat there, and then I went back and everything was fine. It’s charming and lovely and never, in my wildest dreams, did I ever think I would own a house in Sicily. The town is great and the people and the food are fantastic.

Q: You lived in France for a decade working as a model before launching your acting career. Are you still interested in fashion?

LORRAINE: I like fashion and I always love to watch the shows. I also think it’s great when you make a character, and you go back and search – even for Nonnas, searching for aprons and shoes and old clothes because I felt she wouldn’t have any new clothes so everything was vintage.

Q: Do you still follow the advice from your health book, published a few years ago?

LORRAINE: I try. It’s not easy. I think a lot of that happened when both my parents had just passed – they died nine days apart. And I asked myself: Why did they die at 84 so close together? While I felt that neither one of them wanted to be without each other, I also felt they didn’t take care of themselves. So I decided that that was something that I would take seriously. They smoked, they ate whatever. They didn’t exercise, they didn’t move. So I said: Well, I’m not going down that road. So I eat well, I walk, I take care of myself. I don’t even take any medications which I think is pretty good. I just decided not to damage myself in the ways that they did.

Q: How do you stay in shape?

LORRAINE: I was doing Pilates for a long time. But now I’m doing more walking. I have a nice piece of property, so I walk around here a lot and get in up to 7000 steps a day. Also I got a weight vest a month ago, and that’s been interesting, because, it’s a workout. You don’t realize how much 20 pounds on top of you does, so I think that’s been helpful for my core. It’s funny, I go to lunch with friends, and I’m wearing the vest, and they’re like: What the hell is that? And I say: I’m working out as we’re eating lunch!

Q: And for nutrition?

LORRAINE: I mainly follow the Mediterranean diet but – during the holidays – there are no rules. I taste every cookie possible. This is my season to eat.

Q: What are your passions in life?

LORRAINE: I’m a big gardener. I have plants all over the place. I plant everything. Everywhere I see dirt, I think I could grow something. I like to needle point. I like to read and watch movies. I’m a big home body. I like being home. I enjoy it. I have two rescue dogs. I’m good. My life is pretty full.

Q: What’s your secret to aging with attitude?

LORRAINE: Have more fun. Laugh! Be with the people you enjoy. Be with the people that make you feel good and that I make feel good. I think fun is really important. Look, I’m 71 years old – and when I hit 50 – the F word for me became FUN – just have more fun. And I still believe it.

Photo: Courtesy of Persimmon

NB: The Mother, The Menacer, And Me is now available digitally.

 

Gill Pringle began her career as a rock columnist for popular British newspapers, traveling the world with Madonna, U2 and Michael Jackson. Moving to Los Angeles 27 years ago, she interviews film and TV personalities for prestigious UK outlets, The Independent, The i-paper and The Sunday Times – and, of course, Senior Planet. A member of Critics Choice Association, BAFTA and AWFJ, she wrote the screenplay for 2016 Netflix family film, The 3 Tails Movie: A Mermaid Adventure. An award-winning writer, in 2021 she was honored by the Los Angeles Press Club with 1st prize at the NAEJ Awards.