What Is ‘Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos’ About?
The Sopranos creator David Chase appeared in the two-part documentary Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos, 25 years after the release of the hit crime drama series.
The new documentary also featured never-before-seen clips, audition tapes, interviews and set footage that divulged interesting facts about the celebrated series.
Is There a Trailer for ‘Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos’?
HBO released a trailer for Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos on its official YouTube channel in August, weeks before its scheduled premiere.
“The man behind the cultural phenomenon. In Wise Guy David Chase and The Sopranos, a new 2-part HBO Original Documentary, #TheSopranos creator offers a unique look into his work on the iconic series,” the trailer’s description on YouTube read.
In the clip, Chase admitted he had “no idea” what he was doing when he made the pitch, but he “knew it was gonna be about money and death.” HBO went ahead with the series and witnessed it flourish in the TV industry.
“The more I did The Sopranos, I began to realize that the movie never ends. It goes on and on and on. It’s always mesmerized me,” Chase said in another part of the teaser.
What ‘The Sopranos’ Cast Said About James Gandolfini
The Sopranos starred the late James Gandolfini, who played the role of Tony Soprano. In the documentary, several cast members remembered the actor’s Italian-American mobster role and praised his legacy.
“It was very difficult to find a guy for Tony, but then we found Jim. He left in the middle of the first audition,” said Chase. “Walked out, doing his Van Morrison thing. ‘This is s—, I’m doing this right.’ And he left. But we thought he was great, so our casting directors got him to come to my house and he read the scene. It was like, you know…bang.”
Michael Imperioli, who played Christopher Moltisanti’s role, added, “He was very different than Tony Soprano; he was very laid-back. He wore Birkenstocks and liked Green Day and AC/DC. What’s funny is that a lot of fans look at Tony Soprano as kind of a role model — which is very scary in a lot of ways. He probably felt that: people thinking he’s Tony Soprano and he’s not.”
“It was always great from the beginning to the very end. It always felt like playing with him,” Edie Falco shared. “He was incredibly invested in making that character believable. Unless you’re really diligent, you can end up taking your work home. As an actor, that’s not always a great idea. So, yeah, I think it may have taken a toll on him.”
Meanwhile, Drea de Matteo spoke highly of Gandolfini’s generosity throughout the filming.
“We didn’t know to negotiate. I think he felt terrible about that,” she said. “So he called us all into his trailer one by one and gave everybody a check for $30,000.”
Gandolfini died of a heart attack in 2013, six years after his notable appearance on The Sopranos
Biggest Revelations From ‘The Sopranos’ Documentary
Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos shared shocking and amusing takeaways that made viewers fall in love with the series even more.
The documentary revealed that Chase originally wrote The Sopranos based on his mother’s life. Additionally, its first season was supposed to end with the death of Tony Soprano’s mom, but the character’s actress, Nancy Marchand, begged the creator to allow her to keep on working on the series despite her health setbacks.
Other revelations included Gandolfini’s negotiated salary, how the late actor prepared for violent scenes and what inspired Chase for The Sopranos finale.
