James Gandolfini’s One Regret About The Sopranos: “I’ll make a conscious effort after this is over” to Correct That

Discover James Gandolfini’s one regret about playing Tony Soprano in The Sopranos, despite the role being his career’s best performance.

James Gandolfini is the legendary actor behind one of the most iconic roles in the history of television, the mob boss Tony Soprano from The Sopranos. Widely hailed as one of the greatest television actors of all time, the late actor’s portrayal of the complex character in the series has left an indelible mark on the landscape of TV today.

However, even with the fame and acclaim he has received, the actor did once in a rare interview reveal he does have a regret about The Sopranos. Stating that he will be making more of a conscious effort to address this after the show’s end, Gandolfini did end up doing the same.

James Gandolfini’s one regret about his legendary The Sopranos role

Even after the end of The Sopranos, James Gandolfini‘s portrayal of Tony Soprano remains one of the most iconic roles in television history. Over the years, the actor won three Emmys, five SAG Awards, and one Golden Globe for his portrayal, apart from immense fame and acclaim.

However, despite everything, the late actor harbored one significant regret about his legendary performance. Known for rarely ever giving interviews, the actor sat down for a rare interview with New Jersey Monthly back in 2004. In the lengthy interview, Gandolfini expressed concern over being typecast due to the popularity of the show.

On one level, I am typecast, because this show is so popular, so in-everybody’s-face. I’ll make a conscious effort after this is over to take other roles. I can’t keep doing Mafia roles. That would be idiotic.

Stating that it would be idiotic to continue playing Mafia roles since he has a son, the actor continued,

You want to play different types of characters that your son could see. If you do character after character of dark people, I think eventually it might begin to bug you. So am I typecast? In a way, well, yeah. I’m 260 pounds and look a certain way. I’m not going to play Tinkerbell.

While Gandolfini’s desire to step away from the shadow of Tony Soprano highlights his desire to have variety in his career, it is also commendable to see that he wanted to set a better example for his son by taking on more ‘humane’ and ‘diverse’ characters.

Well, while he continues to be known best for his portrayal of Tony Soprano, the actor did broaden his horizon with the roles he took during and after The Sopranos. His role in the romantic comedy Enough Said was particularly well-received, earning him several accolades and nods including a Screen Actros Guild Award nomination.

Why did the late James Gandolfini dislike giving interviews?

James Gandolfini was and is hailed as one of the greatest television actors of all time. Yet, even with his fame, the actor was notoriously private and disliked giving interviews. While in one of his rare interviews, with New Jersey Monthly, the actor declared that he thinks he is boring in reality and doesn’t want people to get too close to him since they won’t want to watch him on screen anymore, his reluctance stems from his humble upbringing in a blue-collar family.

Gandolfini shared in one of his rare interviews the reason behind his dislike for interviews and similar stuff.

The only thing I’m really ever trying to say about anything is about the average guy—the average guy who has to deal with all this crap from the government, rich people, and everything else. It’s the only reason I like doing this. Sometimes, you get to tell a story about someone. I don’t really want to say anything about me. That’s why I don’t do a lot of interviews, particularly on television.

He then added on,

I come from a very blue-collar family, people who work hard and are honest, A lot of young actors get interviewed and go on television, and it makes them start to think that they are important. And we’re not, not anymore than anybody else.

Thus, essentially expressing that for him acting was about portraying the lives of others and not glorifying his own, it was this humility and his commitment to his craft that made James Gandolfini so respected and loved, both on and off the screen.