James Gandolfini has threatened to quit The Sopranos multiple times

Full of anecdotes, the HBO documentary on the cult series reveals the state of mind of its star.

Family saga, fresco of suburban America in the 2000s, satire of the mafia milieu… What hasn't been said about The Sopranos ? Huge HBO success, the series in 6 seasons was for James Gandolfinithe actor who plays Tony Soprano, the opportunity to reveal himself to the world. A clan leader, a disillusioned and depressed patriarch, he completely transformed the image that the general public had of the heartless mafioso, completely disconnected from the realities of everyday life. In the documentary Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos available since Sunday on HBO Max, a clever mix of manufacturing secrets and filming anecdotes, the boss of the company Chris Albrecht tells how Gandolfini almost slammed the door on the series.

Notoriously struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, the American actor disagrees with the production which is trying by all means to force him to seek treatment: “We did a sort of intervention in his apartment in New York“, Albrecht recalls, before adding: “The idea was to force him to go to rehab. We had a lot of arguments about it and the ruse was to invite James, talk to him and lighten the mood.”

A meeting that was not entirely improvised, therefore, since Gandolfini's sisters and several of his playmates were present: “He came in, saw everyone sitting down and he said something like 'Fuck, fuck off' and he left“. Disappointed, the actor especially has the impression of having been deceived: “As people pleaded with him to stay, he turned to me and said: 'Get rid of me'before leaving” says the HBO boss.

An episode that is not isolated, however, according to Steven Van Zandtaka Silvio Dante: “He wanted to quit the show almost every day.”he replays, “Very often we would go to the bar and have the same conversation. We would get drunk and he would tell me 'I'm fed up, I can't take it anymore, I'm not going back'. And then I answered him: 'Okay, but you have a hundred people depending on you.' And he always replied 'Ah yes that's true, okay'.”

A genius actor who died too soon of a heart attack, James Gandolfini left his mark on his time. With his twists, his torments and his cheekiness, he was able to give Tony Soprano extra depth, definitively blurring the line between the role of his life and his own.

James Gandolfini Wasn't Just Tony Soprano