Van Patten grew up surrounded by Hollywood talent, but it's James Gandolfini whom she credits for getting her into acting. "I have a memory of seeing Jimmy Gandolfini start the scene as this big, beautiful, soulful teddy bear and then just shape-shift into an absolute monster," she recalled to Vogue, referencing her days on The Sopranos. "I remember being so in awe and thinking, How did he do that? I was fascinated by the idea of transformation and realised early on that's what I wanted to do."