‘The Sopranos’ star Lorraine Bracco spotted the genius of James Gandolfini years before their chemistry gave us an adrenaline rush

Lorraine Bracco played the famous psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi in The Sopranosa role she asked for instead of the female lead. After playing the role of a mafia boss’s wife in Good guysBracco wanted to try something different in David Chase’s series. During a 2021 interview, she spoke highly of her late co-star James Gandolfini, who played Tony Soprano.

Bracco and Gandolfini showed incredible chemistry on the show with their doctor-patient relationship. While Bracco’s character couldn’t predict the outcome of her sessions with Tony Soprano, the actress could predict Gandolfini’s rise to fame.

Lorraine Bracco could see James Gandolfini’s blossoming career years earlier The Sopranos

Lorraine Bracco has worked with some of Hollywood’s greatest and one of her favorite co-stars was James Gandolfini. She took on the more intellectual role of Dr. Jennifer Melfi in Gandolfini’s epic crime drama series The SopranosThe sessions between the psychiatrist and her mafia boss patient often gave viewers an adrenaline rush.

During an interview with GQ in 2021, Bracco had a little story to share about her late co-star. She told the publication, “I love Jimmy.” Bracco first saw Gandolfini in the script of the Broadway adaptation of A tram named Desire.

The 1992 film adaptation, starring a young and handsome Alec Baldwin and King Kong star Jessica Lange, also had Gandolfini in a small role. Bracco was impressed with the actor and recalled pulling him from the list of actors in the playbook. Bracco shared with GQ:

I remember looking through the script and thinking, ‘Who is this guy?’ And I remember saying, ‘James Gan-dol-fini.’ I picked him a long time ago.

Bracco also revealed that she shared this story with Gandolfini during their time together on The Sopranos. As she recalled, Gandolfini was shocked by her revelation. Gandolfini sadly passed away in 2013 at the age of 51 from a sudden heart attack.

James Gandolfini was an acting genius in The Sopranos

Fans and critics alike would agree that James Gandolfini was a genius when it came to playing the role of Tony Soprano. During an interview with Rolling Stone in 2001, Gandolfini spoke candidly about his role as a family man mob boss in the crime drama. He shared, “I’m a neurotic mess. I’m basically just a 260-pound Woody Allen.”

This 260-pound Woody Allen changed television forever with his violent show. He would portray characters like The bad news‘s Walter White and Game of Thrones‘ Tyrion Lannister, who despite his horrific crimes became a fan favorite. Over the six seasons, Gandolfini did the heavy lifting for the success of the series.

Fans continued to discuss his acting performance in The Sopranos years after the series ended. A Redditor on r/thesopranos pointed out a great scene where Gandolfini was able to convey everything with his body language and minimal dialogue. In his tribute to the actor, The Sopranos creator David Chase called him a “genius”and even compared him to Mozart (via The Telegraph).

The Sopranos is now available to stream on Max.