t’s not easy to play a mobster’s son, but it seems Robert Iler has it down pat.
On the Emmy Award-winning HBO show The Sopranos, Iler plays Tony and Carmela Soprano’s son, AJ, the mischievous young character who wreaks havoc on his parents, school, and teachers.
These days, the 16-year-old actor, born in Rockaway, New Jersey is stirring a little mayhem himself, especially after being arrested by New York City police for being one of four people who allegedly halted two teenagers on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and robbed them of $40.
After officers spoke to the victims, they searched the area and found four people who fit the description, including Iler. Reports also state he was carrying a bag of marijuana when arrested.
But when Iler isn’t getting into trouble, he’s concentrating hard on his career as a budding actor. At the young age of six, walking down a Manhattan street with his father, he was discovered by his present-day manager, Jeff Mitchell. His dad was skeptical about the man, and only when his mother called Mitchell weeks later did they realize he was serious, and Iler got his first role in a Pizza Hut commercial.
Four years later in 1998, Iler appeared in a film called The Tic Code about a gifted 10-year-old boy whose dream was to be a jazz musician. Iler wasn’t in the starring role, but it was his most notable acting job until he landed a role on The Sopranos, which he started just a year later.
In 2002 he’ll grace the large screen again in Tadpole, a movie about a boy who falls in love with his stepmother and must deal with the transformations of puberty.
While his resume keeps getting thicker, his favorite experience is his first day on The Sopranos set. “We all just showed up to work on the pilot, and we got along so great. We just all clicked right away.”
With a tough schedule that requires a large chunk of his time, he studies with a tutor to finish his schooling and hopes to continue to college.
“I do want to go to college, but the only thing that will stop me is if my acting career is going well, which I hope it does,” he says. “But if I do go I’d like to attend the University of Notre Dame.”
“You kind of get to a point where you can be sick of playing AJ. I love being in the show, and there’s nothing I would trade for it, but sometimes I want to be known as Robert Iler, not just as my Sopranos character.”
Whatever his next steps are, the future still looks bright for the fast-rising star. The hit show is scheduled to appear for at least one more season, and who knows where Iler will pop up next.
Related Links