Ex-HBO exec says James Gandolfini ‘fired’ actor to him after intervention

James Gandolfini breathed life into the character of Tony Soprano, but doing so may have come at a cost to the actor.

in new documentary Smart Guys: David Chase and the Sopranos, The show premieres on Saturday, September 7, with former HBO CEO Chris Albrecht recalling how he once intervened with Gandolfini to convince the actor to enter rehab for alcoholism.

“We conducted an intervention with him in my apartment in New York,” Albrecht said. “It was to try and get him to go to rehab. We had already had a lot of friction by then. My ruse was, I invited Jimmy over so we could have a chat and clear up the misunderstanding. And then he showed up… We had the day before There was a rehearsal or something—his sister, everybody was there—and he saw everybody sitting there, and he was like, “Oh, shit, this. “…He turned to me and said ‘Fire me’ and left.”

Gandolfini ended up helping the show run for six seasons from 1999 to 2007, and won three Tony Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role.

He died of heart disease on June 19, 2013, at the age of 51. Although the show’s creator David Chase admitted at the time of the actor’s death that he “didn’t have it easy at times,” Chase was quick to point out that the three-time Emmy winner was “the greatest actor of our generation or of any era.” one”. ”

“Most genius is in those sad eyes,” Chase continued. “I remember telling him many times, ‘You don’t understand. You’re like Mozart. There would be silence on the other end of the phone.

Chase cast a wide net in his initial attempts to cast Tony The Sopranos. Chase revealed smart person He eventually discovered Gandolfini, who initially thought he had failed the audition, but tried again at Chase’s house, where he landed the role.

“Bang,” Chase added, “it was very obvious when Jim did that. [it]. he was Tony.

Gandolfini became a true star through his outstanding performance in the HBO series. Ultimately, the actor was regarded by many of the cast and crew as a talented and well-intentioned artist.

Drea de Matteo Recalls Gandolfini Giving Many Actors Over $30,000 Each After a Round of Negotiations with HBO Boosted Actors’ Pay to $1M an Episode USD compensation.

“When Jim got the deal, none of us knew it was on the table,” DeMatteo said. “We didn’t know how to negotiate. I think he felt bad about it, so he called us one by one to his trailer and gave everyone a check for $30,000.

Falco mused that she never received a check from Gandolfini, but added that the act of kindness “sounded just like him.”

“He was a very kind-hearted person who cared about his friends,” Falco added.

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Smart Guys: David Chase and the Sopranos Playable on Max. Seasons 1 to 6 Montenegro family It is also available to watch on streaming platforms.