Even though the show’s finale was in 2007, it’s still hard for most fans to believe that the hit HBO gangster series “The Sopranos” is gone. Have the show’s stars gone on to bigger and better things, or are they trapped in the memorable characters that they had created for the series?
“Sopranos” Family
Of all the show’s stars, only Edie Falco (“Carmela Soprano”) is back with a new television series. Nurse Jackie” from Showtime is a dark half-hour comedy about a well-meaning city hospital emergency room nurse with a good heart and a nasty drug habit. Like Tony Soprano, Jackie is a character that dwells in her own moral gray region, such as flushing a rapist’s severed ear down a toilet.
As for James Gandolfini (“Tony Soprano”), he’s a portrait of professional modesty, preferring ensemble acting in theater and films to star vehicles either on television or on the big screen. He has most recently starred in a Broadway adaptation of a French play called “God of Carnage.” His ensemble co-stars include Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler (“Meadow Soprano”) currently has a reoccurring role, playing herself, on the hit HBO series “Entourage.” She plays the love interest for the character “Turtle”, who is her real-life boyfriend Jerry Ferrara.
In 2008, Robert Iler (“A.J. Soprano”) narrowly escaped tragedy when a crane collapsed near his Manhattan apartment building, killing seven people and injuring several others.
“Sopranos” Extended Family
Michael Imperioli (“Christopher Moltisanti”) played a New York City police detective on the short-lived 2008-2009 ABC drama series “Life on Mars.
Steve Van Zandt (“Silvio Dante”) has gone back to his longest standing job, rock and roll musician. He was last seen reuniting with Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band at the 2009 Super Bowl half time show. He also hosts a weekly radio show called “Little Steven’s Underground Garage” that’s syndicated on 200 radio stations.
Vincent Pastore (“Big Pussy Bonpensiero”) hosted “The Wiseguy Show” on Sirius Radio, a weekly show celebrating “Italian-American culture.” The show was exec-produced by Steve Van Zandt.
It was announced in June 2009 that Drea de Matteo (“Adriana La Cerva”) would be joining the cast of hit ABC series “Desperate Housewives.”
In February 2009, Tony Sirico revived his “Pauly Walnuts” character in an appearance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” where he “killed off” guest star Alec Baldwin.
On March 29, 2009, the Seminole Coconut Creek Resort & Casino in South Florida hosted a “Wiseguy Weekend”, reuniting former Sopranos cast members Vincent Pastore, Steve Schirripa (“Bobby Bakala”) and Vincent Curatola (“Johnny Sack”).In 2009, life imitated art when Sopranos actor Lilo Brancato Jr. was sentenced to 10 years in prison for an attempted first-degree burglary in 2005 which resulted in the murder of an off-duty New York City police officer.
As for Sopranos creator David Chase, he is currently developing an HBO mini-series titled “A Ribbon of Dreams”, a saga about two moguls in the early days of Hollywood.
