LOS ANGELES, May 9 (UPI) -- Lorraine Bracco and Brenda Vaccaro say the "joyful" spirit of Nonnas, on Netflix Friday, matches the experience of making the film.
Based on the true story of the restaurant Enoteca Maria in Staten Island, N.Y., the movie stars Vince Vaughn as restaurateur Joe Scaravello. Following the deaths of his mother and grandmother, Joe has the idea to open a restaurant featuring Italian grandmother, or "nonna," recipes.
Bracco and Vaccaro play two of the nonnas Joe hires to work in his kitchen. In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, the veteran actors praised the feel-good film.
"I called it my Jimmy Stewart movie," Vaccaro, 85, said. "It will make you feel like yeah, dammit, it's great being alive."
Bracco, 70, has previously starred in violent films like Goodfellas, playing gangster Henry Hill's wife, Karen, and TV shows like The Sopranos, in which she played Tony Soprano's therapist, Dr. Melfi. Bracco was happy that Nonnas is "something my grandchildren can watch."
"The movie's all about love and food and family and relationships," Bracco said. "It's a lovely movie."
The most violence found in Nonnas is a food fight between the grandmothers.
"Brenda started it," Vaccaro said. "I couldn't even believe that she could hit me with the tomato. So it was just a free-for-all all."
Vaccaro believes the first take of the food fight was ultimately included in the movie because she struggled to avoid breaking character the longer it went on.
"I had to stop myself from laughing because I was getting such a kick out of it," Vaccaro said.
A professional chef cooked the actual meals seen on screen and had to keep up with the cast's tendency to eat the food before the cameras rolled.
"While we were filming, we were eating," Bracco said. "That poor guy had to make doubles of everything because by the time we brought them in, we were already inhaling."
While Bracco said she likes to cook off screen, Vaccaro does not. The actress, 85, explained she was turned off to cooking at an early age.
"It's a lonely task," Vaccaro said. "My mother used to be in the kitchen for hours. I couldn't believe it. I'd open the door and I'd see her still cooking. I was going to have a cup of coffee with her but she was in there stirring. Anyway, it wasn't for me."
Vaccaro did visit the real Enoteca Maria restaurant. Bracco missed the cast trip because she was traveling, but Vaccaro said one of the kitchen's nonnas greeted her after her meal.
"I had lasagne," Vaccaro said. "I thought it was terrific. I loved being there and all of a sudden there was a hand on my shoulder and it was her, the grandma. And she said, 'You're doing a good job.' I went, 'Really?' It was like she was my mother. I was thrilled to meet her. She was very dear and very gentle."
Vaccaro also got warm feelings from director Stephen Chbosky. She said Chbosky let the actors improvise and supported their additions.
"He never stopped and said, 'What are you doing?'" Vaccaro said. "He knew God damn well what we were doing. There was magic going on if you give the space, the freedom."
