*Sopranos* actor Lorraine Bracco looks unrecognizable in a new HBO documentary about the beloved show. Now 69 years old, Bracco famously portrayed Dr. Jennifer Melfi in the series, which aired from 1999 to 2007. Dr. Melfi served as the psychiatrist for mafia boss Tony Soprano, played by the late James Gandolfini.
The first part of the two-part documentary, *Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos*, was released on September 7 and provides viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at the show’s creator and the making of the series. In a teaser for the documentary, Bracco appears looking quite different from her *Sopranos* days, confidently sporting gray hair and no longer wearing the glasses that were a staple of her character, Dr. Melfi.
Bracco, who received four Emmy nominations and four Golden Globe nominations for her role, shared in the documentary that she was initially drawn to the part of Dr. Melfi, even though series creator David Chase originally wanted her to portray Tony’s wife, Carmela Soprano. Bracco turned down the role, explaining that she had already played a mobster’s wife in the film *Goodfellas*.
In an interview with HuffPost, Bracco recalled, “I fell in love with David [Chase] the minute I met him—when I walked into the room. I said, ‘I like this guy.'” She continued, “And I said, ‘Look, I don’t think I should play Carmela, because I did it. I did it in a Scorsese movie. I got an Oscar nomination. I really don’t think I’m going to bring so much to this for you that I haven’t done already.’ I said, ‘But I really love this script, and I want to play Melfi.'” Ultimately, actress Edie Falco landed the role of Carmela Soprano.
The *Sopranos* cast was devastated by the death of James Gandolfini in 2013, who passed away from a heart attack at the age of 51. Bracco described him as “loving, caring, sweet, funny—a jokester” in an interview with HuffPost. Reflecting on his sudden passing, she said, “It was devastating—a young man, talented, at the peak of his career, the peak of his life with a beautiful wife and baby, and children, and [his son] Michael. It was really shocking to me.”
Since her time on *The Sopranos*, Bracco has appeared in various TV and movie projects, including *Rizzoli & Isles* and *Blue Bloods*. In 2024, she starred in the action-comedy *The Union*, alongside Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg.
