James Gandolfini was an American actor known for portraying the iconic role of Tony Soprano in The Sopranos. Portraying the role of the mob boss who is in charge of his crime-based family, Gandolfini received worldwide fame for his role.
On the other hand, Steve Carell left his American sitcom The Office when there were two more seasons left to shoot. Wanting James Gandolfini for the role, NBC offered him a significant amount to portray the replacement for Michel Scott. Well, HBO intervened and offered him a certain amount to NOT take the role!
James Gandolfini Was Offered Money NOT To Portray A Role!
Known for being the mob boss of his crime family, James Gandolfini was loved around the world as the character of Tony Soprano. Portraying the role until 2007, Gandolfini did not find any other roles equivalent to his The Sopranos role.
On the other hand, Steve Carell retired from The Office and NBC wanted to go for two more seasons. Well, after Carell’s exit, NBC tried to hire several other actors for different roles. At one point, James Gandolfini was even approached for a role in the series.
According to the Talking Sopranos podcast, Gandolfini’s former co-stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schrippa revealed that NBC offered Gandolfini $4 million to portray a role in The Office. On the other hand, HBO offered him $3 million NOT to portray the role!
“I think before James Spader and after Carell, they offered Jim — I want to say $4 million — to play him for the season, and HBO paid him $3 million not to do it. That’s a fact. Jim was going to do it because he hadn’t worked and it was a number of years removed from when the show ended.”
Well, it could have been a remarkable sight to see Gandolfini portray a role in The Office but the actor sadly passed away in 2013. On the other hand, Brad Pitt co-starred alongside Gandolfini in the 2001 film The Mexican. Pitt had nothing but praise for the actor.
Brad Pitt Convinced James Gandolfini To Join The Mexican
In the 2001 film, Gandolfini portrayed the role of a gay hitman alongside Brad Pitt. In 2001, the actor praised his co-star in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he loved watching Gandolfini work.
“He’s the man. He’s one of those great actors who finds meaning in every line. I love watching him work.”
After the actor’s passing in 2013, Brad Pitt even paid tribute to the late star by stating that he was a ferocious actor and yet… a gentle soul.
“I admire Jimmy as a ferocious actor, a gentle soul, and a genuinely funny man. I am fortunate to have sat across the table from him and am gutted by this loss. I wish his family strength and some semblance of peace.”
With his role as Tony Soprano in the series, The Sopranos received a rating of 9.2/10 on IMDB and a whopping 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Having 6 seasons to its name, the series is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
