Former HBO Exec“ ”Says James Gandolfini Dared Him to ‘Fire’ the Actor from “The Sopranos ”After Staged Intervention

Chris Albrecht recollects the intervention he staged for ‘The Sopranos’ actor within the new documentary, ‘Smart Man: David Chase and The Sopranos’

breathed life into the function of Tony Soprano, however doing so could have come at a value for the actor.

Within the new documentary Smart Man: David Chase and The Sopranos, which premiered on Saturday, Sept. 7, former HBO CEO Chris Albrecht recalled how he as soon as staged an intervention with Gandolfini to persuade the actor to enter rehab for his struggles with alcohol.

“We did an intervention with him at my residence in New York,” Albrecht mentioned. “That was to attempt to get him to go to a facility for rehab. We’d had plenty of friction by that time. The ruse was that I used to be inviting Jimmy over so we might discuss issues by means of and sort of clear the air. After which he got here up… We’d had the rehearsal the day earlier than or no matter — his sister, everyone had been there — and he noticed everyone sitting there, and he went, ‘Aw, f— this.’ … He turned to me and he went, ‘Hearth me,’ and he left.”

Gandolfini finally helped carry the present for six seasons from 1999 to 2007, incomes three Emmys for excellent lead actor in a drama sequence for his portrayal of Tony.

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He at age 51 of a coronary heart assault. Though the present’s creator David Chase admitted on the time of the actor’s demise that he “wasn’t straightforward generally,” Chase was fast to level out that the three-time Emmy winner was “one of many best actors of this or any time.”

“An excessive amount of that genius resided in these unhappy eyes,” Chase continued. “I bear in mind telling him many occasions, ‘You don’t get it. You’re like Mozart.’ There can be silence on the different finish of the cellphone.”

Chase solid a large internet when initially making an attempt to solid Tony for . Chase revealed in Smart Man that he finally found Gandolfini, who initially thought he’d flubbed his audition however gave it one other go at Chase’s residence, the place he nailed the half.

“Bang,” mentioned Chase, including, “It was fairly apparent when Jim did [it]. He was Tony.”

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By way of his highly effective efficiency on the HBO drama, Gandolfini turned a bonafide star. In the end, the actor is remembered by most of the present’s solid and crew as a gifted, well-meaning artist.

Drea de Matteo recalled how Gandolfini gave many members of the solid greater than $30,000 every when after a spherical of negotiations with HBO that upped the actor’s wage to $1 million an episode.

“When Jim obtained the deal, none of us knew it was even on the desk,” de Matteo mentioned. “We didn’t know to barter. I believe he felt horrible about that, so he referred to as us all into his trailer one-by-one and gave everyone a test for $30,000.”

Falco, for her half, mused that she by no means acquired a test from Gandolfini, however added that the nice deed “appears like him.”

“He was a really good-hearted, sort man searching for his buddies,” added Falco.

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Smart Man: David Chase and The Sopranos is out there to stream on Max. Seasons 1 to six of The Sopranos are additionally out there on the streaming platform.

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