Cast of The Sopranos Remember James Gandolfini With Tears as They Mark Show’s 25th Anniversary
Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death.
The Sopranos cast reunited to celebrate the beloved show’s legacy after 25 years!
Since the show signed off in 2007, it’s endured major losses, including the tragic demise of the lead, James Gandolfini, in 2013 and Tony Sirico, who played “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri, in 2022. The castmates share their memories with the late Gandolfini and weigh in on the show’s impact on people!
The Sopranos cast reunited for the show’s 25th anniversary
25 years later, the cast of Sopranos remained tight-knit! In honor of the show achieving a milestone, the cast chatted with TODAY’s Tom Llamas at the Tribeca Film Festival about its success, legacy and memories with their late co-star James Gandolfini.
Llamas discussed why the show remained timeless over all these years. “Because the writing was incredible. Because of streaming, it’s all over the world. More people watch ‘The Sopranos’ now than watched it when it was on originally,” said Steve Schirripa, who played Tony Soprano’s brother-in-law Bobby Baccalieri.
The actor joined the show’s second season, which felt like “an out-of-body experience.” Actress-singer Jaime Lynn Sigler recalled being “stoked” about doing a musical number on the show, given her musical theatre background.
“I remember kind of looking around, noticing there’s no accompanist or — so should I sing a cappella? And I remember David telling me that was not necessary,” she said, recalling the funny anecdote.
The Sopranos cast remember the late James Gandolfini and more
Gandolfini played the iconic lead character on The Sopranos and won people’s hearts with his portrayal of the Italian mafia head, Tony Soprano. His former cast-mates said he was also a “wonderful” person off-screen.
“They loved him because Jim had some magic in him, but you saw this damaged heart or something in that character,” said the show’s creator, David Chase. The drama successfully ran six seasons between 1999 and 2007 and won 21 Emmy Awards. Gandolfini earned three Emmy Awards for his role on the show over the years.
Sigler got emotional talking about how she felt “protected and loved” by her late co-star. “And he really was one of a kind, and I feel very lucky to have been guided by him for as long as I was,” she added. “As great an actor as he was, he was an even better guy,” Schirripa added.