Getting James Gandolfini To Even Audition Was A Struggle For The Sopranos
1999 was an interesting year for onscreen gangsters. You had Hugh Grant learning the lingo (“Fuhgeddaboudit”) from James Caan in “Mickey Blue Eyes,” Terence Stamp’s Cockney villain seeking revenge in L.A. in “The Limey,” and Robert De Niro’s stressed-out mobster visiting a disenchanted psychiatrist in “Analyze This.” They all had their moments, but nothing compared to the huge cultural impact of “The Sopranos,” which jumped off from a very similar scenario to the latter and went on to become one of the greatest TV shows of all time
I’m only 20 years late catching up with the exploits of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), the New Jersey mob boss juggling family problems with his wife, kids, and manipulative mother, and Family problems, as he dodges hits, weeds out rats , and avoid the Feds. No wonder the guy needs to see a therapist.
I recently committed to finally watch “The Sopranos,” and now I get it. The show is a masterpiece. I’m in season 3 and I’m captivated by the writing, the music choices, and how creator David Chase interweaves multiple storylines, some of which don’t pay off until many episodes later. Then you have the huge cast acing their amazing roles, all of them revolving around the immense presence of James Gandolfini. You can’t imagine the show without him. Yet getting him to actually audition for the part was a tough challenge.
It’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role now, but several other names were in the running – Ray Liotta and Anthony LaPaglia were both considered. Two actors who went on to have important roles in the show were also possibilities: Michael Rispoli, who played Jackie, Soprano’s terminally ill boss in the first season; and Steven Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, who eventually played the key character of Silvio.
Talking about the great characters and performances in “The Sopranos” runs the risk of turning this article into a list, so I’ll just mention a few of my favorites. Nancy Marchand is magnificently crotchety as Livia, Tony’s cunning mother, while Edie Falco brings so much warmth as his long-suffering wife, Carmella. Then you have the “Goodfellas” connection, with no fewer than 27 actors from Scorsese’s mob epic also playing roles in “The Sopranos.” It was one element that initially put me off when I began my watch of the series, but so far, Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, and Tony Sirico have all lived up to the hype as Soprano’s shrink, protégé, and avuncular enforcer respectively.
