15 Facts You Might Not Know About 'The Sopranos'
Do you know who else could've played Tony?
The Sopranos, which rose to cultural prominence in the late '90s, is considered one of the greatest television shows ever made. For six seasons, the cast of the mafioso hit had millions of viewers laughing, crying, and screaming alongside them each week. Decades later, the HBO series remains a binge-worthy classic among younger generations.
Even if you’ve watched the show from start to finish and consider yourself a diehard fan, many interesting things went on behind the scenes that you may not be aware of. Here, we take a look.
Tony Soprano was almost played by someone else
We can’t imagine a world where James Gandolfini didn’t play Tony Soprano, but this, in fact, was almost a reality. As it turns out, the show’s creator, David Chase, was originally debating whether to cast Steven Van Zandt as Tony. However, he ultimately decided to give Gandolfini the role and had Van Zandt play Silvio.
The series was originally a feature film
Chase originally wrote The Sopranos as a movie, not a series. It wasn’t until he got feedback from his manager, Lloyd Braun, that he decided to turn it into a television show.
It was heavily inspired by the creator's life
Chase drew on experiences from his personal life when writing scenes for the hit show. For instance, Lorraine Bracco’s character, Dr. Melfi, was based on his therapist, and Tony’s mother, Livia, was influenced by his mother. “I used to tell people stories about my mother, things she said and did,” Chase told 60 Minutes in a 2005 interview. “My wife, first of all, said, ‘One day you have to write about her because she’s hysterical.'”
The show is named after the creator’s high school friends
Chase didn’t choose the title to be The Sopranos just because it sounded good. Instead, he named it after his high school friends.
Fox passed on the series
It’s hard to imagine any network passing on the mega-series now, but Fox did.
Many of the actors appear in other films together
If you feel like you’ve seen some of the Sopranos actors in films together, you’re not dreaming. Movies including Goodfellas, Gotti, Bullets Over Broadway, and The Irishman all feature at least three of the HBO show’s characters.
Lorraine Bracco was originally supposed to play Carmela Soprano
Lorraine Bracco did an excellent job at playing Dr. Melfi—in fact, she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her portrayal of Tony’s therapist. However, Chase initially considered casting her as Tony’s wife, Carmela. Bracco turned down the role because she played a mob wife in Goodfellas and wanted to try something different.
The majority of filming was done at Silvercup Studios in Queens
Most scenes that take place indoors, including the Soprano family home and Dr. Melfi’s office, were filmed on a soundstage at Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, Queens.
This iconic location was demolished after the show ended
If you’ve ever seen the show, you know just how central Satriale’s Pork Store is. As the story goes, when HBO gave the series the greenlight, its producers decided to lease a storefront in New Jersey and turn it into an Italian butcher shop. For all six seasons, the filming location of the pork store in the show remained the same. When the show finally ended, the building was torn down.
Bada Bing! was an actual strip club
Bada Bing! was actually the Satin Dolls strip club located in Lodi, New Jersey. The Sopranos cast and crew shot during the club’s off-hours.
Gandolfini once worked in a nightclub
After graduating from Rutgers University in New Jersey, the actor moved to New York City and managed the well-known night club, Private Eyes, on 21st Street. Through the years, stars including Bette Midler, Madonna, Andy Warhol, and more frequented the hotspot.
This character needed full hair and makeup to get into character
Drea de Matteo, who played Adriana La Cerva, shared in her 2013 Reddit AMA that she needed to be in full costume and makeup to really become Adriana. “I couldn't get into character for Sopranos unless my nails were completely manicured and at least an inch long,” de Matteo explained. She also added that she needed to have her hair done and, most importantly, her stilettos on, too. “A lot of times actors will put Uggs on if you don't see the character's feet—not me, man, I had to have those stilettos on, otherwise I couldn't even play across from who we were shooting.”
This Sopranos actor guest starred on another popular show
Edie Falco, who played Tony’s wife, Carmela, had a small role in another early 2000s hit show, Will & Grace. Her starring turn in Showtime's medical dramedy Nurse Jackie also earned Falco rave reviews and four Emmy nominations.
Gandolfini did this random trick to get into character
Tony was often tired, grumpy, or both. To help get himself into his character’s seemingly perpetual lousy mood, Gandolfini would make himself more uncomfortable by putting rocks in his shoes.
De Matteo appeared first as a hostess in the pilot
You may catch it if you rewatch the series from start to finish—de Matteo doesn’t appear first as Christopher Moltisanti’s girlfriend but instead as a nameless restaurant hostess in the pilot.
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