Fans of *The Sopranos* are reacting to a heartwarming story about James Gandolfini, revealed by his co-star Steven Van Zandt.
On Saturday (18 June), a Twitter user, @FBorrull, asked Van Zandt, who played Silvio Dante on the hit HBO series, about a rumor involving Gandolfini, who portrayed the show’s iconic lead, Tony Soprano.
The tweet read: “Hey @StevieVanZandt! Is it true James Gandolfini gave each actor at *The Sopranos* $33,333 of his own money to settle a salary dispute the cast had with @HBO? Thank you brother!”
Van Zandt responded, clarifying: “It wasn’t to settle a salary dispute. He had gotten a big raise and just divided it amongst the cast. He was one of a kind.”
This gesture is documented in two books, *Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers* by James Andrew Miller and *The Curious Viewer* by Jennifer M. Wood. The books explain that Gandolfini’s salary was initially $5 million per season under a six-year contract, which doubled to $10 million after season three. Later, Gandolfini asked for $20 million per season but ultimately settled on $1 million per episode, resulting in a $13 million payout for each season.
In a generous move, Gandolfini shared over $500,000 of his earnings with 16 of his co-stars, giving each $33,333 as a token of appreciation.
Fans were touched by this act of kindness, with one commenting, “Wow! Did not know of this story. James was a good dude,” while another added, “That’s so cool. What a man.” A third fan simply said, “That’s wonderful. Thank you for sharing.”
