James Gandolfini was 'bothered' by iconic Sopranos role, say co-stars

James Gandolfini found the relentless violence inherent in his iconic role as Tony Soprano deeply challenging, according to one of his co-stars from the acclaimed HBO series.

Steve Schirripa, who portrayed mobster Bobby Bacala, revealed that while millions were captivated by the fictional gangster family, the demands of the titular character began to take a significant toll on Gandolfini.

"That bothered him, having to be angry all the time, that started getting to him," the 68-year-old told the Press Association. Schirripa elaborated on the intense schedule and emotional burden: "It started happening the middle, the end. I mean, don’t forget, he worked 16-hour days, five days a week. He had to kill people, he had to yell, be angry, every day, every day, every day. For some people, it’s easy. For some people, it’s not. I think it started bothering him."

Gandolfini tragically died of a heart attack in Rome in 2013 at the age of 51. Speaking ahead of the "Talking Sopranos" tour with co-star Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti), Schirripa painted a picture of Gandolfini as a complex but caring individual. "He was a good guy," he affirmed. "[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. 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."

Schirripa praised the show’s writing for its ability to pivot from "hysterical" to "extremely violent" within a single episode or even scene, highlighting its enduring appeal. "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. 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." He stressed that it was "much deeper and much more complicated" than mere mob antics.

Michael Imperioli and James Gandolfini Getty Images

The show’s strength, Schirripa argued, lay in its unflinching honesty and realism, even when depicting "horrible" scenes of murder and rape that might cause viewers to recoil. He maintained that such portrayals were necessary to reveal the true nature of the characters. "I think the show shows what these guys are all about," he explained. "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."

This profound and challenging writing, Schirripa believes, is why the series "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 is scheduled to visit Edinburgh on Saturday and Glasgow on Sunday, before continuing to other UK cities.