Las Vegas Weekly

May 3, 2010 · 7:30 AM

Photos: At dinner with A Bronx Tale star Chazz Palminteri

By Robin Leach

Chazz Palminteri at First Food & Bar in the Palazzo on April 29, 2010.

Photo: Robyn Andrzejczak/IS Photography/ImagesofVegas.com

A private and intimate dinner with Oscar-nominated actor Chazz Palminteri is as entertaining and fascinating as his one-man tour-de-force performance in A Bronx Tale, if not more so. Conversation is riveting and ranges from his life growing up in the Bronx with the wise guys of the Mafia in the 1960s to watching one of the most violent fight scenes that anyone can now see on YouTube -- with him as the ultimate tough guy.

“In real life, I was the kid who watched that happen for real,” Chazz told me. “In the movie, I played the tough guy Sonny who dished out the punishment. In the movie, it shows me as the kid watching it first hand. That was some fight. It was as real as it gets, and I don’t think any of the actors walked away from the set without some cuts and bruises -- and we were acting. In real life, it was violent, gory and horrific.”

After Chazz performed his second return opening of the play in The Venetian Showroom last Thursday, he joined 15 of us at First Food & Bar in the Palazzo for an Italian dinner. Servers transformed the private dining room into a cozy Italian bistro complete with wine bottle candles, food displays and a four-course menu that included traditional Italian dishes we ate family style while sipping chef Sam DeMarco’s signature cucumber gimlet.

Contributing photographer Robyn Andrzejczak of IS Photography and ImagesofVegas.com captured these fabulous photos as Chazz, who hosted a Kentucky Derby viewing party at Lagasse’s Stadium in the Palazzo on Saturday, relaxed over dinner with us.

I know Chazz from many Manhattan nights at Elaine’s, so we chatted comfortably about our days in the late 1960s and ’70s in New York City. We talked about mobsters we crossed paths with in the restaurant, our jukebox and vending machine worlds. I was surprised we knew so many of the same people. “They’d give you whatever you needed, but there was always the vig … there was always a day when you had to return the favor in some way or the other,” he laughed. “They’re still around!”

In previous interviews with Chazz, I’ve told you how he turned down $1 million from a Hollywood studio for A Bronx Tale because he wasn’t wanted in the film. One week later, another New York-based star, Robert De Niro, gave him $1.5 million for the script, with Chazz playing the role of lead gangster Sonny LoSpecchio. Robert starred in and directed the film.

“It was the worst day and then the best day of my life,” Chazz smiled. “Growing up there, I could have easily joined the mob, but it was my father, a bus driver, who kept me out of trouble and on the straight and narrow. He was just totally honest and worked legitimately very hard. It would have been so easy to get wrapped up in all of what they were into. I don’t want to think what would have happened to me if he hadn’t been so strict and loving with me.

“I had to pay attention to him or else! It was a rough childhood growing up then, but I had a tremendous amount of love from a caring family. The boys then were pretty ruthless, and nobody really ever said no to them. Once they got into something, they were pretty much there for good.”

Chazz told me he’s enjoying his run in Las Vegas, making it his second home and hoping to reprise the play several times a year for 12 total weeks. “I love Vegas. There’s so much here to do. The restaurants, the clubs, and I’m loving every moment of it. I didn’t dare think we’d do as well as we have with the show. I knew Vegas audiences would enjoy it, but never thought they’d love it this much.”

In A Bronx Tale, Chazz is extraordinary in tackling 18 characters from his past. On his debut run here last October, the production was hailed as the best show on The Strip.

“I worked my way up from the streets and have been this journeyman for 20 years or so. I wonder if today’s newcomers will still be around that long.” He even has a line printed on his business card from the play that says, “The saddest thing in life is a wasted talent.” “I give that to everybody who sees the play because I don’t want to see kids waste their lives. It’s what my father taught me, and I hope it teaches them, too.”

What an amazing two hours of great conversation with an extraordinary man over fabulous food. You couldn’t have asked for a better or more different Las Vegas night! I just hope he keeps coming back time and time again, as he’s both a character and somebody we should have here in Las Vegas often.

A Bronx Tale is at The Venetian Showroom through Sunday, so don’t miss it. Chazz’s next run is Oct. 7-18.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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