Julia Louis-Dreyfus reflects on working with 'tender' James Gandolfini

Julia Louis-Dreyfus has opened up about working with the late Sopranos star James Gandolfini.

The 62-year-old actress starred opposite James in the 2013 romantic comedy Enough Said, which was released shortly before his death that same year.

In an interview with Vanity Fair published on Wednesday, the Seinfeld star described her co-star as a "teddy bear" and worlds away from ruthless mob boss Tony Soprano, a role James portrayed for six seasons on the hit HBO series.

"He was a tender guy, and so I'm very happy that he made this film," Julia told the magazine. "Not only because I got to work with him, but the public got to see him not as a mafia boss, but as somebody closer to himself - who was very vulnerable and very kind-hearted."

The Veep star also praised her late co-star's acting ability, comparing James to The Godfather legend Marlon Brando.

"I would suggest that one of the reasons, among many, that he was so good at Tony Soprano was that that vulnerability was in place," she added. "That made his character much more complicated and interesting to watch."