Lillo Brancato , who played a mobster in HBO 's The Sopranos , has landed his first Hollywood movie role following his eight-year prison stint for his part in the murder of a cop . The 38-year-old has started working on the film 'Back in the Day ' , which tells the story of a Brooklyn boxer taken in by a mobster , the New York Post first reported . In the movie , which stars Alec Baldwin , Danny Glover and Mike Tyson , Brancato plays the cousin of one of the boxer 's opponents and gets into a scuffle with the lead character . The role comes more than a year after he was released from prison . He served eight years for a botched robbery in the Bronx in which an off-duty police officer was shot dead . Scroll down for video . New role : Lillo Brancato ( pictured second right with , from left , actor Joe D'Onofrio , actor and producer William DeMeo and director Paul Borghese ) has landed a role in 'Back in the Day ' about a fighter from Brooklyn . In December 2005 , Brancato tried to break into an apartment with Steven Armento , a low-level mobster and the father of his girlfriend , to steal Valium but NYPD officer Daniel Enchautegui heard glass break as they entered the building and confronted them . While Enchautegui waited for backup , a gun battle erupted and he was fatally shot in the chest . Armento was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison . Brancato was found not guilty of murder but was convicted of robbery and sentenced to nine years in prison minus time served . He was released on December 31 , 2013 . After leaving prison , he was given his second chance by William DeMeo , who wrote 'Back in the Day ' , and is also producing and starring in the movie . ' I know a lot of people were nervous about hiring someone who had a tainted past , ' DeMeo told the Post . ' I could tell deep down in my heart that he changed . I wanted to give him a second chance . ' Locked up : Brancato was sent to prison for his part in the death of off-duty police officer Daniel Enchautegui , right . Brancato and another man were breaking into an apartment when the man shot Enchautegui . Scene : Police investigate the crime scene in the Bronx on Saturday 10 , 2005 , where the officer was shot . Brancato , who has been sharing behind-the-scene snaps on his Instagram page , first met DeMeo while they were both going for a role in the 2001 film , 'Boss of Bosses ' , which DeMeo ultimately secured . DeMeo said that he called a friend in the NYPD to ask him whether he would be offended if he hired the ex-con , but the friend said it was no problem . But the president of the Patrolmen 's Benevolent Association in New York , J. Lynch , told TMZ that he would not be so forgiving . 'We ask all right-thinking people not to support this thug ’ s acting career by avoiding this movie and any project in which he is involved , ' he said . As for Brancato , the actor said he 's particularly excited about working with Mike Tyson , saying : 'He 's had such an interesting life . He also was incarcerated , so a lot of things are similar . ' The actor is best known for his role in the 1993 movie ' A Bronx Tale , starring Robert De Niro , and for playing Matthew Bevilaqua in The Sopranos . Rise to fame : Brancato is best known for his role in the 1993 Robert De Niro film , ' A Bronx Tale ' On screen : He also played dim-witted mobster Matthew Bevilaqua in HBO show The Sopranos . After his release , he also appeared in the small independent movie , 'Monsters of Mulberry Street ' , in which he played a priest . ' I said I do n't think it would be a wise decision for me right now to play anything of violence , I do n't think it sends the right message , ' he told This is 50 as he explained his decision to take the job . He has also expressed his remorse about his role in the 2005 killing . ' I wish I could just take it back and I could bring police officer Daniel back to life , ' Brancato told ET after he left prison . 'He was a hero . He was off-duty , lived next door , heard broken glass , came out and put his life on the line . ' And last month , he shared his mug shot to Instragram , calling it ' a time in my life when things were n't going too well ' . ' I took a lot from a negative experience and have grown in a positive way as a result of it # learnedmylesson , ' he wrote . New life : Brancato , pictured with his girlfriend Kristina , has expressed remorse for his part in the killing .
Lillo Brancato , who played a mobster in NYC Patrolmen 's 's The Sopranos , has landed his first Hollywood role after his December 2013 release from prison . He was locked up for eight years following a botched robbery in 2005 in which his associate shot dead an off-duty police officer . He is now filming 'Back in the Day ' about a Brooklyn boxer . HBO Benevolent Association called for a boycott of the movie .