James Gandolfini will be forever remembered as Tony Soprano in the iconic HBO series The Sopranos. Premiering in 1999, the series ran for six seasons with the final season having 21 episodes to its name.
It was the season finale when Tony Soprano sat with his family in a diner. While looking at the patrons visiting the diner and ordering the menu, the screen immediately cuts to black and the music halts. This scene came to be known as the infamous cut-to-black scene.
James Gandolfini Had Future Plans For Tony Soprano
The series finale scene drew critical acclaim, and a plethora of theories were created to justify the cut-to-black. With most of the fans suggesting that Tony Soprano gets shot in the head, the truth might not be as simple.
Three years after the series finale aired, a 10-minute short film was shot depicting James Gandolfini and Edie Falco’s on-screen characters. The couple was enjoying married life but in witness protection!
In an interview on Chuck D’s podcast Shattered: Hope, Heartbreak and the New York Knicks, Edie Falco (who plays Carmela Soprano on-screen) revealed some shocking details about the fate of Tony Soprano.
We got those requests all the time back then and Jim Gandolfini, he did nothing. And somehow, he agreed to this thing, which I was shocked by. I thought it was a prank when someone said Jim’s going to do it.
The short film was directed by Jonathan Hock and it showed that Tony Soprano actually lived and was in witness protection. However, it’s not clear whether the short film was supposed to be released to the public or not.
James Gandolfini Was Having Trouble With Tony Soprano
Portraying the role of an Italian-American mafia head surely came at a cost to James Gandolfini’s personal life. From the physical toll of acting to getting into the character of Soprano, Gandolfini was going over his limit.
Edie Falco once revealed that she had a conversation with James Gandolfini about his health. As per the actress, Gandolfini revealed that he wasn’t doing too well because of his character (via FarOut Magazine).
I had a conversation with Jim once where he was in very bad shape. He said to me, ‘They don’t understand what this does to me, doing this show and where I have to go.’
However, Gandolfini’s love and dedication for the show was surely enough for the fans and the world as The Sopranos went on to become one of the most iconic series of all time.
The show received a rating of 9.2/10 on IMDB and a whopping 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. With 6 seasons to its name, The Sopranos is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
