How James Gandolfini’s personal demons led to on-set chaos during the final seasons of ‘The Sopranos’
James Gandolfini’s struggle with personal demons caused chaos during the final seasons of “The Sopranos,” according to the new book “On Locations: Lessons Learned from My Life On Set with The Sopranos and in the Film Industry.”
Author Mark Kamine was a location scout on the HBO show, which ran for six seasons, and writes that cracks really began to show in Season 5.
While filming the “Pie-O-My” episode on location at Monmouth Park in New Jersey, the cast and crew stayed near the horse track.
“I am at the hotel bar when the crew member closest to Jim asks if I want to go down to Atlantic City with Jim and a few others. It’s over an hour away. I decline,” Kamine writes of the Tony Soprano actor. The next morning I’m not surprised when Jim cannot be roused.
Gandolfini eventually showed up four hours late and worse for wear: “cursing his way through his half-learned lines, doing take after take, drinking coffees and bottles of water, alternatively sheepish and churlish, the way he always is when he f–ks up.”
As Gandolfini became “increasingly unreliable,” HBO reportedly “[added] a clause making him responsible for shoot-day costs if he misses work due to excesses of consumption,” the book claims.
According to Kamine, who later became an executive producer on “White Lotus,” Gandolfini’s problems were fueled, at least in part, by “his apparent discomfort” with fame.
Kamine writes of another day when the crew was told that Gandolfini wouldn’t be coming in at all — prompting co-star Edie Falco, who played Carmela Soprano, to say, “with more than a little disgust, ‘Are you kidding me? ‘”
The author said he did n’t blame Falco for her frustration, as the actress known for showing up early, “always fully prepared, always amazingly and instantly in character. She [was] nothing but an admirable on-set presence throughout the entire run of the show.”
But Falco’s professionalism seemed to daunt Gandolfini.
“Jim seems in awe of it and frustrated by her convincing ready access to emotion,” Kamine writes. “He often gets to set not quite in character, cursing himself mid-scene, calling on the script supervisor to feed him lines. ”
But everyone was willing to put up with the chaos, Kamine writes, “because Gandolfini more than anyone other than David [Chase, the show’s creator] makes the show [what] it is, his expressive features and rich readings and menacing, restrained gesturing delivering great and consistent impact.”
Sometimes, Gandolfini’s behavior could be heartbreaking.
Kamine recalls the actor being at the residence the show used for Tony’s house, and the homeowner striking up a conversation.
“This is five seasons in. Jim has been to the house dozens of times, had many conversations with the man standing in front of him … Jim interrupts him to say, with more than a little regret, ‘I’m really sorry but my memory’s kinda shot and I don’t remember, who are you?’”
The owner was “hurt” and Kamine was “shocked,” writing, “to have no clue who the owner of the Soprano house is [gave] me a glimpse into the extent of his personal struggles.”
Kamine makes it clear that Gandolfini was beloved on set, despite the frustrations he could cause.
Every Friday night, the actor would have copious amounts of sushi delivered to the set for the entire crew to enjoy.
At the end of every season, he would give “everyone a significant gift,” including gift certificates worth hundreds of dollars. In the final season, he handed out watches engraved the message “The Sopranos 1997-2007 Rest In Peace Thank You — J.G.
