James Gandolfini Had Constant Doubts About Playing Tony Soprano

The late, great James Gandolfini began acting in the early 1980s, but it was "The Sopranos" that made him a star. And it was a stardom that seemingly always made the performer uncomfortable. Up until his big break on the HBO series, Gandolfini appeared as small supporting characters in films like "True Romance" and "Get Shorty." It was the role of Tony Soprano that launched him into a kind of superstardom. Gandolfini was so good as troubled mob boss Tony Soprano that it was almost scary; he fully embodied the character, and seemingly everything he did with the part — be it raising his voice or simply, and quietly, raising his eyebrows — became something to obsess over. We are worse off without him around, continuing to deliver memorable roles (Gandolfini died in 2013 at the far-too-young age of 51). 

"The Sopranos" is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The show changed the face of TV as we know it, and Gandolfini's performance still looms large to this day. Empire Magazine has an interview with cast and crew members of the series to mark the anniversary, and the participants reflected on how uncomfortable Gandolfini sometimes was with his newfound fame. The quotes paint a portrait of a man suddenly grappling with stardom, the likes of which clearly never quite expected. And it also reveals that as good as he was as Tony Soprano, the role didn't come easy to James Gandolfini. 

Edie Falco, who played Tony Soprano's wife, Carmella, recalls that Gandolfini "was this suburban guy who decided to act way late in the game, and on some level was always looking over his shoulder. Like someone was going to find out he wasn't supposed to be the guy." Falco adds that she felt that Gandolfini "could never really manage how lucky he felt to have been a part of this show."

During the course of the conversation, Steven Van Zandt, who played Soprano family consigliere Silvio Dante, states that Gandolfini would "sometimes be looking in the mirror, and say things like, 'Look at this face. Can you believe they cast me as the lead in this thing?'" Van Zandt adds: "He would also quit the show basically every day. [Laughs] In TV, you work from 6 am 'til 10 pm. He was coming from movies, filming two pages a day or whatever. And here we were, doing five, six or seven — four of which would be him and Lorraine [Bracco] in Dr Melfi's office. Heavy scenes. So he was often like, 'I can't do this. I cannot do this.'"

"Sopranos" creator David Chase also recalls Gandolfini's doubts, stating that at one point the actor said: "You know what I should have been? I should have been a plumber. That's what I should have been. A plumber." Falco then sums things up by saying: "Being Tony wasn't easy."

The cast and crew also go to lengths to point out that Gandolfini was a fun guy to be around, but it's clear that the fame "The Sopranos" brought him caught him off guard, and that playing such a complex part wasn't a walk in the park. While Gandolfini may never have been completely comfortable with the role he suddenly found himself in, the brilliance of his work has stood the test of time. It's one of the best TV performances in the history of the medium.