James Gandolfini Was Never the Same After 'The Sopranos'

collider ^ | 09/12/2024 | Shawn Van Horn

[ChicagoConservative27]

The new docuseries from HBO, Wise Guy, is out now. In it, David Chase, creator of The Sopranos, speaks about the creation of the show that changed television history. Wise Guy takes an interesting look at how Chase came up with the idea, as well as a look into the writer's room where so many classic episodes were created. The Sopranos was one of the best series of all-time, with brilliant writing, thrilling twists, and some memorable characters, but none of it would have mattered without James Gandolfini, the actor tasked with playing The Sopranos' lead, a tortured man filled with anger. Playing such a character won James Gandolfini a few Emmys, but it also took a heavy toll on him physically and emotionally.

[ChicagoConservative27]

Tough role to play. He did it brilliantly. I believe they wanted Ray Liotta at first.

[Col Frank Slade]

Bobby Bacala :

“Quasimodo predicted all of this”

[dfwgator]

What are ya gonna do?

[dfwgator]

It was all that Gabagool!

[circlecity]

James played a great Tony Soprano but when he tried to play something totally different he was not that good an actor. He was in a Sean Penn movie about Huey Long and played a good ole boy southern politician. He was terrible. He was good in Tarantino’s True Romance but he was basically playing the same Tony Soprano character.

[Bon of Babble]

He was the perfect choice - but apparently gained 100 lbs. over the course of the show. The other actors said when there were eating scenes - he would REALLY eat the food (they wouldn’t), take after take after take....

He died after a gluttonous meal.

[Georgia Girl 2]

I never missed an episode. It was addictive.

[ChicagoConservative27]

Same here

[allendale]

Good actor but drugs and alcohol took their toll.

[SunkenCiv]

• The Sopranos' Drea de Matteo Didn't Know Her Character Would Die Until the Episode Aired [09/09/2024]
• James Gandolfini gave 'Sopranos' cast $30K each — but not TV wife Edie Falco [09/09/2024]
• The Sopranos' Steven Van Zandt Says James Gandolfini Contemplated Quitting the Show 'Every Other Day': 'It Just Got to Him' [09/08/2024]
• 'Sopranos' Star Says Hollywood Is Full of Closeted Trump Supporters [09/07/2024]
• 'Real Embarrassing': Sopranos Actor Michael Imperioli Ripped for Gushing over Photo of Young Kamala Harris [08/31/2024]
• 'Sopranos' Star Drea de Matteo: Hollywood Full Of 'Quiet' Trump Voters, Actors Getting Paid to Support Biden [06/26/2024]
• 'Sopranos' star Drea de Matteo claims celebrities are against leftist Biden agenda, but are 'petrified' to speak out [04/28/2024]
• Michael Imperioli (Sopranos/ GoodFellas) and others eject an annoying activist from theatre (w video) [03/15/2024]
• Sopranos star Drea de Matteo reveals she earned enough money on OnlyFans to pay off her mortgage debts in just FIVE MINUTES - as she lifts the lid on the secrets behind her very lucra [02/27/2024]
• 'Sopranos' stars Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli tearfully pay tribute to James Gandolfini at Emmys 2024 [01/16/2024]
• Nolte: 'Sopranos' Creator David Chase Says TV's Golden Age Is Dead [01/15/2024]
• 'The Sopranos,' now 25, is the ultimate TV series about America — not the Italian mo [01/07/2024]
• Suzanne Shepherd Dead: 'Goodfellas' and 'Sopranos' Actress Was 89 [11/19/2023]
• 'Sopranos' star Michael Imperioli forbids 'bigots and homophobes' from watching his movies and shows [07/02/2023]
• Sopranos star John Ventimiglia's daughter Odele dead at 25: Family is 'heartbroken' by her passing just three months after she gave birth to a baby girl [01/27/2023]
• 'Sopranos' Actor John Ventimiglia's Daughter Odele Dead at 25 [01/26/2023]
• Newt Gingrich Calls Biden Family 'The Delaware Sopranos [01/20/2023]
• Landmark NJ funeral home featured in 'The Sopranos' may be demolished [10/18/2022]
• TONY SIRICO 'SOPRANOS' STAR DEAD AT 79 [07/08/2022]
• 'Sopranos' Actor Tony Sirico Dead at 79 [07/08/2022]
• HBO Wouldn't Dare Make 'The Sopranos' Today [12/21/2021]
• Lousy Management, Knucklehead Hires Plague Operations of Real-Life Sopranos [10/04/2021]
• Slick prequel to The Sopranos hits all the right notes, writes BRIAN VINER [09/23/2021]
• Many Saints of Newark' is a solid two-hour episode of 'The Sopranos' [09/23/2021]
• The Sopranos: How the 'Mob' deals with a gay member [08/07/2021]
• When the Sopranos were young: How Tony, Paulie, Junior and Livia make their long-awaited return to screens as their younger selves in prequel film The Many Saints of Newark [07/01/2021]
• THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK – Official Trailer (Sopranos Prequel) [06/30/2021]
• Many Saints of Newark Trailer Debuts First Look at 'Sopranos' Prequel - Soprano Fans Rejoice [06/29/2021]
• SOPRANOS TRAGEDY Joseph Siravo dead – Sopranos star dies aged 64 after battle with cancer [04/12/2021]
• 'The Sopranos' star Edie Falco to play Hillary Clinton in new 'American Crime Story' [03/05/2021]
• 'The Sopranos' movie, 'Many Saints of Newark,' gets new opening date [01/14/2021]
• 'The Sopranos' turns 20. David Chase opens up about Tony's fate: 'We all could be whacked in a diner [03/11/2019]
• Before there was a Tony Soprano, there was Richie the Boot and Vinny Ocean. Jersey's real Sopranos [03/11/2019]
• The Sopranos - Season 6 Episode 14 Ending ('Evidently Chickentown' by John Cooper Clarke) [03/08/2019]
• James Gandolfini's son Michael to play Tony in Sopranos prequel [01/22/2019]
• The Sopranos is still the greatest television show of all time – this new 20th anniversary[tr] [01/09/2019]
• [VIDEO]: Sopranos MadTV Spoof (A little Friday fun) [06/08/2018]
• Frank Vincent, 'Sopranos' and 'Goodfellas' Actor, Dies at 78 [09/13/2017]
• Hoax? Son of 'Sopranos' actor allegedly commits fake hate crime [12/11/2016]
• Vanity-The Sopranos - Junior fakes mental illness for mistrial of his Rico indictment. [09/13/2016]
• Rockford Files and Sopranos star Joe Santos dies at 84 [03/18/2016]
• Politics: Keeping Up With the Kardashians. And Sopranos. [07/18/2015]

[BipolarBob]

Good actor but drugs and alcohol took their toll.

Food, drugs and alcohol took their toll.

[mmichaels1970]

Do they discuss how they chose the opening theme song? Woke Up This Morning - Alabama 3, best opening theme ever IMHO.

[V_TWIN]

“I never missed an episode. It was addictive”

Sure was. Some friends transferred overseas right before the last two seasons.

The military installation they lived on had cable but not HBO for some reason.

So I ended up recording the episodes on DVD and shipping them all the way to Yokosuka Japan where my friends would share the episodes with people in a bar they frequented.

The American guys that owned the bar were so appreciative they sent me T-shirts with the bar logo.

When people 7,000 miles away are waiting for the next DVD with baited breath then yeah, I’d say it was definitely addictive. Lol!

[yldstrk]

Tony Soprano was no Michael Corleone.

[dfwgator]

He never had the makings of a varsity athlete.

[Karl Spooner]

Good actor but drugs and alcohol took their toll.

Whte Rabbit

[yldstrk]

Michael Corleone thought things out long term. Tony Soprano was a short-term reactionary predator with reptilian striking capabilities. Not a prime-time player.

[notdownwidems]

It was a pretty good show, but ‘best of all time’? Not hardly

[crazycat]

They are one hell of a band ...especially live.

Amazing they are not way bigger.

[ShadowAce]

I really like that song.

I also liked the opening themes from "Game of Thrones" and "From."