The Sopranos is widely regarded as one of the greatest dramatic television shows of all time, with a massive cult following of fans who are still uncovering new information today, over 25 years since the show premiered. In fact, in a recent interview, Furio Giunta actor Federico Castelluccio revealed a never-before-heard behind-the-scenes story, which explained his character’s abrupt departure from the Sopranos universe.
Apparently, the fan-favorite character was written out of the show so that the production staff could save up money to pay the massive salary of Frank Vincent, who joined the series in the fifth season.
The Mystery Has Been Solved
Castelluccio revealed this fascinating tidbit during an appearance on the podcast Vino With Vito, hosted by New Jersey real estate agent Vito Contuzzi. On the show, he explained that Furio was originally not the character slated to depart The Sopranos at the end of the fourth season in the first place. In fact, a producer for the HBO series initially let it slip to Castelluccio that Vincent Curatola’s surly head of New York, Johnny “Sack,” would be leaving the show in order to open up room in the budget to bring Frank Vincent on board.
Paying The Price For Frank
As the Furio actor explained in his interview, the Sopranos producers had been trying to secure a contract with Vincent for a long time, but were unable to strike a deal with him due to his exorbitant quote.
Unlike most of the relative unknowns that rounded out the cast of the spectacular series, Vincent was a big name in the mob movie niche, having portrayed prominent front-and-center roles in films such as Goodfellas, Casino, and even several installments of the Grand Theft Auto video game series. After months of stern negotiations and script changes, the writers eventually resolved to write Furio out of the show in order to free up financial space for some new faces.
The Sudden Disappearance
While fans were certainly excited to see Frank Vincent join the cast in the show’s fifth season, along with a few other big names like Steve Buscemi and Robert Loggia, Furio’s departure was always something of a mystery. For those who don’t recall, Furio had a season-long arc throughout his final year with the show, which saw him and Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco) engaging in a tense, unspoken emotional tryst, silently pining for one another while fearing what the Soprano family patriarch might do if he caught onto them.
Don’t Cross The Boss
In Furio’s final episode, he nearly throws Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) into the blades of a helicopter before deciding to skip town so that his unrealistic crush on Carmela wouldn’t get out of hand. In the middle of the night, he packs his belongings, puts his newly purchased home on the market, and flies back to Italy, never to be seen again. The last we ever hear of Furio in the show comes from an off-hand remark by Tony, in which he suggests that he has men searching for the Italian national in his home country.
They Compromised
As the Furio actor explained in his interview, the decision to write his character out of The Sopranos all comes down to “dollars and cents.” Luckily, Frank Vincent serves as an incredibly compelling antagonist in the final seasons of the show, making his inclusion well worth the shake-up. Still, many fans have been left wondering what became of Furio ever since his final episode aired in December of 2002, over two decades ago.
At the end of the day, The Sopranos writers wanted Frank Vincent and Federico Castelluccio to both have long-term arcs. They compromised and sent Furio packing instead. They wanted to explore the idea that Furio and Carmela Soprano might run off together and go into hiding from Tony. They compromised, and had Carmela confess her love for the ponytail-clad mobster in a heated argument… You see where I’m going?
