Armand Assante never would have agreed to star in “Gotti,” the 1996 made-for-TV movie, if John Gotti hadn’t told him, “I would be honored to have you play me,” a source said.
The Gambino godfather was in prison, but spoke with Assante on a smuggled cellphone, the source told me.
The actor won an Emmy and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the Teflon Don.
That’s quite a contrast from the critically panned performance of John Travolta in the recently released “Gotti” film.
The Guardian noted his “truly dazzling array of crunchy-looking wigs.”
“John Gotti must be rolling over in his grave,” laughed my insider.
Assante, who has also played Friedrich Nietzsche and Odysseus, was just at the Los Angeles premiere of “Ulugh Beg: The Man Who Unlocked the Universe,” in which he stars as the 15th-century astronomer.
The docudrama was produced by Timur Tillyaev and Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, whose father was the ruler of Uzbekistan for 27 years.