Sopranos Co-Star Reveals Emotional Toll Show Took on James Gandolfini
James Gandolfini, the iconic actor who brought Tony Soprano to life, found the relentless violence inherent in his legendary role profoundly challenging, according to a co-star from the groundbreaking series. Steve Schirripa, who portrayed mobster Bobby Bacala, has revealed that while The Sopranos captivated global audiences for nearly a decade, the intense demands of playing its central character began to weigh heavily on Gandolfini's psyche.
The Heavy Burden of Constant Anger
"That bothered him, having to be angry all the time, that started getting to him," Schirripa, now 68, explained in an interview with the Press Association. He noted that this emotional struggle intensified significantly during the latter seasons of the show's celebrated run. The actor highlighted Gandolfini's gruelling filming schedule, which involved "16-hour days, five days a week," where he "had to kill people, he had to yell, be angry, every day, every day, every day."
Reflecting on the cumulative toll, Schirripa added: "For some people, it's easy. For some people, it's not. I think it started bothering him." Gandolfini tragically died from a heart attack while on holiday in Rome in 2013, aged just 51, leaving behind a legacy as one of television's most transformative performers.
A Complex Man Behind the Mobster
Schirripa, speaking ahead of the Talking Sopranos tour with co-star Michael Imperioli (who played Christopher Moltisanti), acknowledged that Gandolfini "was not without his problems" but emphasized his fundamental decency and compassion. "He was a good guy," Schirripa stated. "[He was] a lot of fun. We had a lot of laughs. As a cast, a lot of us hung around together off camera and we had a lot of fun."
The actor described the close-knit nature of the cast, who spent nearly a decade working together: "We travelled together a lot. We knew each other's families. You're together nine or 10 years, people went through marriages, divorces, had babies, so it really did become like a family. A lot of parties, a lot of cast parties, Christmas parties. Every time somebody got killed off, we took them out to dinner."
Schirripa concluded his personal reflection by saying: "Jim was a good guy, a generous guy, not without problems, which has been said over and over, but a nice guy, and he gave a shit about people."
The Show's Enduring Brilliance and Complexity
Schirripa explained that The Sopranos would frequently shift from "hysterical" to "extremely violent" within a single episode or even a scene, which he believes demonstrated the exceptional quality of the writing. "I think that's why it's still endorsed because it was funny, it was sad, it was violent. It was all of these things," he observed.
"It wasn't one thing, you know, it wasn't just a mob show. It went deep. It's about capitalism. It's about family. It's about a lot of things. It's not just about mob guys hanging out in the strip club, killing people. It's much deeper and much more complicated. It's a very smart show."
The actor argued that the honesty and unflinching realism of the series constituted its greatest strength, even when depicting "horrible" scenes of murder and rape that made viewers turn away. Schirripa does not believe any of it went too far, because ultimately it was a show about deeply flawed individuals.
"I think the show shows what these guys are all about. I think the writers, you know, when you're saying it's funny, I think the writers knew it was funny, and this is a great show, and then they took you back to reality, that these are bad people. Let's not bullshit ourselves. These guys are bad guys. They're not, you know, fun-loving characters. They take you back to reality to show you these are bad guys, you know, they're sociopaths, they're psychopaths. They kill in a drop of a dime and then go sit down and eat a steak dinner."
A Lasting Television Legacy
This sophisticated, multi-layered approach to storytelling is precisely why Schirripa believes The Sopranos "still holds up very much like it was written today." He confidently predicted: "I think 50 years from now people will still be watching it."
The Talking Sopranos tour, featuring Schirripa and Imperioli sharing behind-the-scenes stories and insights, will visit Edinburgh on Saturday and Glasgow on Sunday before continuing to other cities across the United Kingdom, allowing fans to engage with the enduring legacy of this television masterpiece.
