The Sopranos is often praised for kickstarting the Second Golden Age of Television or Prestige TV. An extensive section of viewers and critics even consider it the greatest TV show ever. Even Steve Buscemi, the Tony B actor and one of the show’s significant directors, agreed to it. But he claimed that the HBO show had to end early as it took a toll on the late James Gandolfini.
It is notable that The Sopranos, with 86 episodes, is bigger than shows like Breaking Bad (62) and Game of Thrones (73). Still, many viewers wondered what forced the show to end when most of the co-stars wanted to continue the show. Steve Buscemi confessed that it was due to the late Tony Soprano actor who thought he had done more than enough with The Sopranos.
The late James Gandolfini could not withstand The Sopranos after a point
James Gandolfini‘s performance as the mafia boss Tony Soprano is considered among the greatest works in TV history. Fans still cannot get over the charismatic aura possessed by the character. However, after a certain point, Gandolfini could not continue it anymore. He had invested a significant part of himself in the show and was satisfied with its ending, unlike the others.
Steve Buscemi was also a significant part of The Sopranos during its 6 season run. Even before joining the main cast as Tony Blundetto in Season 5, he had already directed some of the most iconic episodes of the David Chase series.
During an interview with PBS’ Charlie Rose (via X) the Reservoir Dogs actor asserted that no movie or series can ever top The Sopranos. He added that some co-stars wanted the show to run for more episodes but it was harder for James Gandolfini to continue. As the role took a heavy toll on him, he was satisfied with the ending.
It got harder for Jimmy [James Gandolfini]. I think that character really took a lot out of him, and he invested so much of himself in it. And I think it was hard for him to sustain that. So I think in some ways he was really okay with it ending. I think some of the other cast members wanted it to continue.
Just as Steve Buscemi described, The Sopranos had an incredible run with its performances, casting, and writing till the end. Unlike many shows that often fail to conquer the Throne of success by messing up their finale, The Sopranos‘ cut-to-black ending is still regarded as one of the most iconic TV scenes ever.
How did Steve Buscemi’s career choices take a turn following The Sopranos?
Notably, the late Gandolfini was not the only one affected by The Sopranos‘ run. Even Steve Buscemi’s choices of roles also saw a substantial contrast following the hit series. The gangster-drama series along with some other projects significantly decreased his tolerance level for violence.
Before being killed by Tony Soprano in The Sopranos, Steve Buscemi had a brutal ending in a wood-chipper in Fargo. Following the Tony Soprano saga, Buscemi also reunited with HBO for another crime drama series Boardwalk Empire. In the show, his character Nucky Thompson had a brutal scene where he shot a teenager in the back of his head.
In a 2020 interview with GQ, Steve Buscemi admitted that such a long association with violence has affected his mental health and he cannot do it anymore- “I don’t have the tolerance for violence that I used to. ”
Thus Boardwalk Empire was his last character to feature any violent aspect. Recently, he was also spotted as Starscream in the animated Transformers One film with an upcoming Taika Waititi film under his collar.
The Sopranos can be streamed on Max.
