Sopranos star admits why he was ‘really scared’ while filming the show amid 26th anniversary
Sopranos star Steve Schirripa portrayed the character Bobby ‘Bacala’ Baccalieri on the show for the almost 20 seasons that The Sopranos was on-air
The Sopranos star Steve Schirripa still had his fears while filming the show even though he didn’t let them show when the cameras were rolling.
From 1999 to 2007, the crime drama had many tuning in each week to see how the lead character Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) navigated his double life as a notorious mobster and family man. Steve was also in the mix, portraying the character Bobby “Bacala” Baccalieri. Not only was he Tony’s brother-in-law, but he was also a leader within the mob he and Tony were both a part of.
Given that he and James portrayed made men who could lose their lives at any given moment, being killed off the show was a great fear of Steve’s.
It was also a fear for Steve’s Sopranos co-stars, who also anticipated being killed off the television series almost every episode.
“We really were scared. I always said, you know, you get the script, you look at the front to see if you’re in it, go to the back to see if they were gonna kill you off,” Steve told People. “And it was a real concern, honestly, with all of us, except for Jim [James Gandolfini], of course, because the show couldn’t go on with anyone but [him].”
Steve made it to The Sopranos’ final season before he was killed off in the episode, The Blue Comet. When talking to the news outlet, he opened up about being a part of such an iconic ground-breaking series that’s still relevant despite being off-air for almost 20 years.
“When you step away from it, you say, wow, I can’t believe I was a part of this just wonderful, incredible, smart show,” Steve said. Steve confessed that he used to watch the show when it was airing every week, but he hadn’t rewatched it until he worked on his Talking Sopranos podcast with costar Michael Imperioli.
“I went back and watched it and I had a much bigger appreciation for it after I stepped back from it,” Steve noted. “To get on any TV show is very difficult. To get on that one, it’s like hitting the lottery twice.”
Friday, January 10, marks the 26th anniversary of Emmy-winning the show The Sopranos.
