Jamie-Lynn Sigler says her 'first thought' was of on-screen dad James Gandolfini while filming her 'Sopranos' Super Bowl ad

• Jamie-Lynn Sigler thought of James Gandolfini while filming a "Sopranos"-inspired Super Bowl ad.
• "Whenever we do anything with 'Sopranos,' your first thought is always Jim," Sigler told People.

Jamie-Lynn Sigler opened up about the experience of filming her recent "Sopranos"-themed Chevy commercial, which debuted during Sunday's Super Bowl LVI, in a new interview with People.

In the ad, which recreates the iconic opening credits sequence of the HBO show, Sigler (who played Tony Soprano's daughter Meadow on the critically-acclaimed drama) drives a Chevy Silverado from Manhattan to New Jersey while "The Sopranos" theme song, Alabama 3's "Woke Up This Morning," plays.

The original opening credits for 'The Sopranos" featured James Gandolfini, who starred as Meadow's father Tony on the series, driving a similar route.

"Whenever we do anything with 'Sopranos,' your first thought is always Jim," Sigler told People of filming the new ad. "His presence was very much felt throughout it all, of course, because anything we ever do having to do with 'Sopranos,' he is there."

At the end of the ad, which was directed by "Sopranos" creator David Chase, Sigler reunites with her "Sopranos" costar Robert Iler, who played Tony's son (and Meadow's brother) AJ.

"Robert and I are still best friends. We're so close... What we experienced together was very unique," Sigler told People. "'The Sopranos' was a once-in-a-lifetime thing in many ways. It was 10 years of our lives and we were kids and we grew up on that show, and so this just takes you right back."

"We couldn't have asked for a cooler experience," she added.

Gandolfini died in June 2013 at the age of 51 from a heart attack. In the oral history of "The Sopranos," "Woke Up This Morning," Sigler revealed that Gandolfini "stepped up" to help her following her MS diagnosis, including by sending his acting coach to work with her.

The actress split from her first husband, AJ DiScala, in 2005, and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis around the same time.

But according to Sigler, Gandolfini remained a supportive presence throughout her personal struggles.

"He sent his acting coach, Susan Aston, to work with me, just to make sure I was taken care of," Sigler said in the book. "Little things like that, that he really just stepped up in amazing ways."