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.
James Gandolfini Had To Go to a Dark Place To Play Tony Soprano
James Gandolfini was just 38 years old when he was cast as Tony Soprano in The Sopranos all the way back in 1999. Twenty-five years ago, you might have been familiar with Gandolfini due to his supporting roles in major feature films like True Romance, Crimson Tide, and Get Shorty, but he wasn’t a leading man or a household name. In Wise Guy, David Chase speaks about how many actors he auditioned for Tony. They all seemed to approach it the same way, but Gandolfini was different. He might have been an intimidating mob boss, but you could see the person behind the character with him. After all, if we’re supposed to sympathize with this man still stuck as a little boy, if we’re supposed to understand why someone so powerful would have panic attacks and see a therapist, then Tony Soprano had to be more than a caricature.
Tony Soprano might be a sympathic character, but he still had to be a bad man. In The Sopranos’ fifth episode, “College,” we see Tony kill someone for the first time when he strangles a former mobster now in Witness Protection named Febby Petrulio (Tony Ray Rossi). It’s a savage murder, with Tony wrapping the rope around Febby’s neck and squeezing the life out of him. In Wise Guy, they talk about how Tony got so into the scene that he actually cut his hands on the rope. Sadly, Gandolfini had to endure more than that. Tony is angry so often and Gandolfini had to sit in that feeling while filming the series. To get himself ready, he’d punch things before filming, and many times he went so far as purposely not sleeping much the night before, so he’d be really angry and not just faking it when his scene came. That can work in a movie, but it’s much different when you’re playing the same character for six seasons.
James Gandolfini Struggled With Alcoholism During ‘The Sopranos’
In Wise Guy, the docuseries dives deep into how much pressure was on James Gandolfini. It might have had a strong ensemble cast, but he was the star. The success (or failure) of The Sopranos was on his shoulders. Old interviews in Wise Guy show Gandolfini talking about the long hours he put in, sometimes staying on set until 1 or 2 in the morning, just to come back a few hours later. That pressure led him to drink.
Steven Van Zandt speaks in Wise Guy about how he and James would go to a bar and get drunk, and nearly every time, Gandolfini would tell him that he couldn’t take it anymore and how he was going to quit. Van Zandt would have to talk him down, reminding him that everyone would lose their job if he did. There was no replacing Gandolfini with a new character. Tony Soprano was The Sopranos. While Van Zandt may have stopped Gandolfini from quitting, he also pointed out the primary source of pressure the star felt. Everyone was depending on him, and he couldn’t let them down.
James Gandolfini’s Legacy as Tony Soprano Lives On After His Death
Tony Soprano is a villain, but we love him because of how James Gandolfini portrayed him. We might be frustrated by that fade-to-black finale, but was there anything better than watching Gandolfini in front of the camera? Unfortunately, in 2013, Gandolfini passed away from a heart attack at just the age of 51, just six years after the final season of The Sopranos. Wise Guy shows his funeral, with the church packed with people. During David Chase’s eulogy, the showrunner can barely get through it, breaking down into tears while speaking. That emotion comes not from what James Gandolfini the actor did for his career, but what James Gandolfini the friend did for his life. If an artist suffers for his art, that couldn’t be more true for James Gandolfini. Tony Soprano took a toll on him that we can’t imagine, but the result also gave us one of the most iconic roles in television history. Tony Soprano is undoubtedly one of television’s most memorable and complex characters. While Gandolfini is now gone, his legacy as Tony will live on forever in The Sopranos.
