In the criminal series "Clan Soprano" are collected not the most popular actors. At the same time, the Soprano Clan is one of the most successful television projects in the history of television. How attractive is the plot of this film, and who did the producers take on the main roles?
History of creation
The idea for the Soprano Clan series came to David Chase's screenwriter, producer, and film director. He was born in New Jersey into an Italian-American family, and often witnessed a criminal showdown. Therefore, when Chase created his most famous project, he was guided more by personal experience.
Many heroes of the Sopranos Clan have prototypes in real life. At the same time, Chase does not hide that in terms of character he identifies himself with Tony, and Livia Soprano is completely deducted from David's mother.
The first pilot release, David Chase undertook to shoot himself. Only suitable actors were needed. The Soprano Clan is a unique project in the sense that almost all of its members really have Italian roots. Moreover, many of them had problems with the law and knew very well that they were playing in front of the camera.
The film was broadcast on HBO. The popularity of the series was high, so it was possible to release six seasons. The creators of the project did not go further, so as not to spoil the overall impression of the picture.
The actors involved. The Soprano Clan: D. Gandolfini as Tony
The protagonist of the series is a certain Tony Soprano. He is a man of about forty, who is married and has two children. Like many ordinary men, he has mistresses, has problems with his mother, and sometimes Anthony is depressed, and he goes to a psychologist. However, the rest of the time, Tony is the leader of the mafia clan, who runs the business in New Jersey.
The role of Don Soprano was played by James Gandolfini. Previously, the actor participated in Broadway productions, then he began to get something in Hollywood. In 2006, the actor got a major role in the thriller Lonely Hearts, where
John Travolta and Jared Leto also appeared. In the same year, James Gandolfini got together with Sean Penn, Jude Law and
Kate Winslet in the project “All the Royal Army”.
However, the series “Soprano Clan” made the star of the artist, in which he finished acting shortly before his death. In 2013, the actor died of myocardial infarction.
E. Falco as Carmela
Edie Falco in the serial film about the mafia clan got the role of the wife of a famous criminal boss. Carmela has known Tony since school. She agreed to marry him, but she never interfered in the affairs of the mafia. Basically, Carmela took part in plot intricacies that related directly to family relations.
At a certain stage, the heroine Edie Falco was tired of her husband's betrayals and even tried to divorce him. But Tony did not give her a divorce.
As for Edie herself, she was born in the family of an actress and musician. Therefore, it is natural that after school the girl decided to choose an acting profession. Falco graduated from relevant courses and began acting in television series, including Law and Order, and Prison of Oz. Of the full-length paintings, one can note the work of Falco in the film "The Law of Inevitability."
Robert Euler as Hey Jay
Robert was born in 1985 in New York. Since childhood, he starred in various commercials, then began to try his hand at cinema.
Robert Euler joined the Sopranos at the age of fourteen. He was assigned the role of the youngest son, Tony Soprano. Anthony Jr., according to the plot, did not differ in calm disposition. As he grew older, the character was given more and more screen time.
Apparently, the actor’s unformed mind was too influenced by the atmosphere of the set and the role of a minor gangster, since at the age of sixteen the young man began to have big problems with the law.
After the filming of the series, Euler no longer participated in any television project.
D. L. Sigler as Meadow
Jamie-Lynn Sigler is a New Yorker. Her family is international: her father has Greek roots, and her mother is Cuban.
The actress played in the cult series the eldest daughter of Tony - Meadow Marian Angelo. Her heroine is smart, but at the same time gives her parents a lot of problems.
Sigler also got the lead role in the drama “The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss,” and in 2012 she appeared in three films at once: the melodrama “Based on Compatibility”, the drama “I Agree” and the comedy “Boys and Children”.
Despite the rapid creative activity and an active personal life, the girl has certain health problems. In 2000, she faced Lyme disease and lost control of her lower limbs for several days. In 2016, the actress admitted that from the age of 20 she was forced to fight multiple sclerosis.
However, all these difficulties do not prevent Mrs. Sigler from being happily married to baseball player Cutter Dikstroy and raising her son Bo.
Nancy Merchand as Libya Soprano
Not so famous actors were involved in the project of David Chase . The Soprano Clan is not the easiest series, however, and the role in it is not so easy to play. A rather controversial character came across actress Nancy Merchand, who played the mother of Tony Soprano.
The heroine Merchand (Libya) belongs to the category of people who are constantly unhappy with something. Moreover, the woman is powerful and demanding. Resisting her is so difficult that Tony is forced to go to a psychologist and visit him for quite some time, hiding this fact from family and friends.
The performer of the role of Libya in life also had a strong character. Nancy lived 71 years, 50 of which she devoted to the acting profession. The actress did not rattle the whole world like Audrey Hepburn or any other diva, but in the USA Merchand knew quite well: in particular, from the TV series North and South, Lou Grant, Another World, Law and Order ".
The actress died suddenly, so the scriptwriters did not have time to correctly prescribe her departure from the storyline of the series. She just disappeared in the second season from the screens under the pretext that her heroine also died.
Other artists
Actress Lorraine Bracco got the honorary role of personal psychotherapist Tony Soprano. Dr. Jennifer Melfi knew perfectly well whom she was “setting her brains on”, so she had warned Don in advance that he would not inform her of upcoming or committed crimes, otherwise she would have to pass this information on to the appropriate authorities. Lorraine Bracco was nominated for an Oscar for a supporting role in Martin Scorsese's Good Lads. She also played Margot in the movie Hackers with Angelina Jolie.
For the role of the beloved nephew of don Soprano, David Chase approved Michael Imperioli, who really has Italian roots. Chrissy considered Tony Soprano to be practically his father and settled “sensitive” issues for him. The performer of the role,
Michael Imperioli, can also be seen in Scorsese's Good Guys and in the thriller Oldboy.
Dominic Chianese appeared on the screens in the image of Uncle Tony Soprano. His character was nicknamed "Junior" because he was the younger brother of Anthony's father. Chianese also starred in the comedy Italian Lovers with Angelina Jolie and in Malawi with Robert de Niro.
Acting scandals
The series "Clan Soprano" in itself was a rather scandalous phenomenon, since it had a lot of violence, abuse and erotic scenes. Nevertheless, HBO producers were not shy about broadcasting the film at 9:00 p.m. on Sundays.
The actors who took part in this project are too accustomed for seven years to their imaginary involvement in the mafia. Closer to the end of the series, many of them were really planted.
For example, Euler, who played the son of Tony Soprano, after two years of filming in the project, together with friends attacked Brazilian tourists and robbed them. Since the young man confessed, he escaped with a suspended sentence and, having missed two seasons, returned to the project.
A certain Richard Maldon, who played in the series of one of the leaders of the mafia gangs, was arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison between the fourth and fifth season. However, he was soon acquitted.
One of the close Tony Soprano was played by actor Vincent Pastore. Between the fifth and sixth season, he beat his girlfriend in his own car and threw her to the sidelines. I had to take a course of community service.
And this is not a complete list of scandals in which role performers from the Soprano Clan were involved.
Reviews and ratings
The series "Clan Soprano" is considered a mega-popular and successful show. The film was equally interesting to the audience both on the day of the pilot screening and during the completion of the project. Moreover, the project’s audience has grown steadily: in the first season, the average number of viewers was 3.46 million, and in the sixth season it was already 8 million.
Critics also reacted favorably to David Chase's work. If 88% of reviewers on the Metacritic website showed loyalty to the first season, then 97% of users responded positively to the second season. All subsequent seasons, loyalty remained at the same high level.
The success of the “Soprano Clan” can be explained by Chase’s original plan, talented performance and good marketing of the HBO channel. But this phenomenon can also be explained by the fact that people have always been attracted to vicious topics. Gangster films open the curtain to ordinary viewers in a world to which they will never relate. And, of course, it helps a lot to be distracted from the gray routine, especially if the gangster series is shown on Sunday evening.