It has been some time since The Sopranos came to a conclusion with its sixth season in 2007. However, it continues to be remembered, not least because it has had a significant impact on the TV shows that followed in its footsteps. In fact, it is interesting to note that there is a prequel movie being made at the moment, which might interest the fans of the TV show. Here are 20 things that you may or may not have known about The Sopranos:
1. It Was Pitched As a Movie
Initially, the creator David Chase pitched The Sopranos as a movie. Said movie would have been centered around a mobster going in to see a therapist about his mother issues, meaning that it would’ve bore some resemblance to its eventual form. With that said, it was his manager who convinced him to turn it into a TV series instead.
2. The Creator Drew On His Own Experiences
David Chase used his own experiences as a source of inspiration for his creation, which is not uncommon for creative figures. For example, Tony Soprano’s relationship with his mother was based on his relationship with his mother. Likewise, Tony Soprano’s therapist was based on his therapist.
3. The Creator Was Fascinated By Organized Crime
Speaking of which, David Chase has been fascinated by organized crime since he was a child. In part, this is because he grew up in a place where he was able to see people involved in organized crime, which fueled his fascination to some extent. On top of this, The Sopranos drew a great deal on existing media about gangsters as well as other people involved in organized crime, which can be seen by people who are familiar with that existing media.
4. HBO Wasn’t the First Choice
David Chase pitched his creation to a number of TV channels before he approached HBO. For example, he presented his creation to Fox, which showed some initial interest but eventually passed on the project when Chase showed them the script for the first episode. Eventually, Chase winded up making the pitch to the president of HBO’s original programming, which impressed said individual enough for HBO to provide the financing for a pilot. Even then, there were serious struggles along the way, as shown by the fact that there was actually a gap of a few months in the path of the project on its way to becoming a full-fledged TV show.
5. The Creator Got Sued By a Man Named Robert Baer
At one point in time, David Chase was sued by a man named Robert Baer, who was a prosecutor based in North Jersey. Said individual sued because he claimed a breach of contract on the basis that he had contributed to the creation of the TV show but had not been recognized for it. Eventually, Baer lost the lawsuit in the sense that he wasn’t deemed to have been a co-creator. However, he did manage to get a ruling that he should have been paid for some of his services that contributed to the creation of The Sopranos.
6. David Chase Had a Poker Face During Auditions
When the people behind The Sopranos were searching for people to play the parts, David Chase picked up a reputation for being difficult to read. For example, Michael Imperioli thought that he had failed to secure the role of Christopher Moltisanti because of both his unreadable expression and because of his insistence that Imperioli redo some scenes, which tends to be a bad sign. As a result, it came as something of a shock when Imperioli learned that he had managed to secure the position that he wanted even though he wasn’t expecting it at all.
7. Lorraine Bracco’s Initial Role Was Carmela Soprano
At first, Lorraine Bracco was considered for the role of Carmela Soprano on The Sopranos. Primarily, this is because she had played the part of a mob wife in Goodfellas, which had a fair amount of influence on the people responsible for making such decisions. However, she eventually winded up playing the part of Dr. Jennifer Melfi because she believed that it would make for a more challenging role that would enable her to grow as an actress.
8. Tony Sirico’s Condition Was For His Character to Not Be a Rat
Tony Sirico agreed to play the part of Paulie Walnuts on The Sopranos so long as his character would not be a rat. It is interesting to note that Sirico has a criminal background, which started when he was still a teenager in an Irish gang. Eventually, Sirico met the members of an acting troupe consisting of ex-convicts when he was in prison, which was what convinced him to give acting a shot.
9. Steven Van Zandt Was Considered For Tony Soprano
A lot of the people who are familiar with Steven Van Zandt might be familiar with the fact that he plays with Bruce Springsteen. However, he was convinced to give acting a shot by David Chase, who was impressed by his physical presence when he saw him. Initially, Van Zandt was considered for the role of Tony Soprano, but that fell through because the executives at HBO wanted someone more experienced in the lead role. Due to this, Van Zandt was cast as Silvio Dante, while his wife was cast as his on-screen wife as well.
10. David Chase Had a Reputation For Being Very Controlling
David Chase was the one who was chosen to serve as showrunner for his creation. Over the course of six seasons, he picked up a reputation for being very controlling, which was based on the sheer range of things that he was responsible for. For example, he handpicked numerous crew members based on his knowledge of them. Furthermore, he would do everything from write episodes and look over the written scripts to giving the actors information about their characters’ motivations for the purpose of coaxing better performances out of them.
11. Most of the Scenes Were Filmed in New Jersey and New York City
For the most part, the scenes in The Sopranos were filmed in either New Jersey or New York City. Generally speaking, scenes set in New Jersey would be filmed in New Jersey. Meanwhile, scenes set indoors would be filmed at a studio in New York City.
12. Bada Bing! Was a Real Strip Club
Amusingly, Bada Bing! was filmed at an actual strip club called Satin Dolls, which can be found in Lodi, NJ. As a result, the people making The Sopranos had to make arrangements with the owner of the strip club because they spent so much time filming there. Fortunately for them, he was perfectly willing to accommodate their needs so long as they didn’t disrupt his normal operations too much.
13. The Pork Store Started Out As a Real Pork Store
In contrast, the pork store started out as a real pork store but went on to become a fake pork store. For those who are curious, the pork store in the pilot was filmed in a real butchery that can be found in New Jersey. However, when the TV show got a full series order, the choice was made to move the filming to a different building that was leased for the purpose of filming and nothing else. Eventually, when the filming for The Sopranos came to a close, the building came to a close as well, seeing as how it was torn down.
14. The Title Sequence Was Intended to Emphasize the Location
People who remember The Sopranos should remember its title sequence, which was very memorable in those times. David Chase has stated that the title sequence showed a number of famous landmarks in New Jersey for the purpose of emphasizing that The Sopranos was set in New Jersey rather than New York. Something that was necessary because a great deal of organized crime media is set in New York rather than New Jersey, meaning that the title sequence proved useful in establishing expectations.
15. Livia Was Supposed to Die in the First Season
Originally, Tony Soprano’s mother Livia was going to die in the first season when he smothered her. However, that plan changed because Livia’s actress Nancy Marchand got cancer during the filming of the TV show. However, Marchand told Chase that she wanted to keep on working, which is why plans were changed so that her character could continue on until the very end. This is literal, seeing as how Marchand passed away before she had managed to finish filming her final scene in the TV show.
16. Nancy Marchand’s Final Scene Used a Body Double
As a result, Livia’s final scene in The Sopranos had to be filmed using a number of makeshift solutions. For example, the people behind the TV show had to use old footage and old recordings to cobble together something that was usuable. Moreover, the special effects people had to put a picture of Marchand’s head on the body of a body double, which was rather challenging considering the technology of the time. On the whole, the scene wasn’t well-received, but unfortunately, it was necessary.
17. David Chase Directed a Total of Two Episodes
It is interesting to note that in spite of the fact that he had built up a well-deserved reputation for being controlling when it came to his creation, David Chase directed no more than two episodes of The Sopranos. One of these episodes was the pilot. Meanwhile, the other episode was the finale. With that said, Chase did spend a great deal of time engaging with the people responsible for directing the episodes. As a result, while he might not have exercised direct control over how the episodes would turn out, he had a lot of input into that particular process, meaning that his influence was nonetheless felt throughout the whole course of the series.
18. James Gandolfini Had a Fair Amount of Input in How Tony Soprano Turned Out
James Gandolfini had a fair amount of influence on his character. Initially, David Chase’s vision for the character wasn’t as ruthless as the eventual result that was shown on the TV screen. However, when Gandolfini started playing the part, he started increasing the level of force and ferocity that his character was willing to bring to bear. For example, there was one incident when the script said that Gandolfini was supposed to slap Michael Imperioli. However, Gandolfini went further by actually putting his hand on Imperioli’s neck and then lifting him off of the ground, which made for a rather impressive-looking visual to say the least. Chase made the choice to go along with Gandolfini’s changes, stating that Gandolfini was right about how ruthless Tony Soprano would have to be for him to make it in his chosen line of business.
19. The Crew Came Up with an Estimate for Tony Soprano’s Net Worth
Speaking of which, it is interesting to note that the people behind The Sopranos came up with an actual estimate for Tony Soprano’s net worth in the setting. To do this, they had to consult with an assistant district attorney, who provided them with an in-depth understanding of the various ways that mobs made their money. Something that was critical for their calculations. In the end, the people behind The Sopranos determined that Tony was worth something along the lines of between $5 million and $6 million, though it is amusing to note that this figure could see significant variation from period to period because of the character’s gambling issues.
20. The Real Mob Talked About The Sopranos A Lot
Amusingly, the FBI revealed that the real mob spent a lot of time talking about The Sopranos. To be exact, they were perplexed by how realistic the TV show turned out to be, so much so that a significant number of them thought that the people behind the TV show must have had someone in the mob providing them with information about what it was like. On the whole, it’s a little odd, but it is nonetheless something that speaks volumes about the quality of the work put into The Sopranos.
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