The Sopranos legend James Gandolfini was reportedly paid $3 million USD to turn down Steve Carell’s role in the US iteration of The Office.
The Office creator Ricky Gervais recently sat down with Sopranos co-stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa on an episode of their podcast, Talking Sopranos.
During the conversation, Ricky Gervais delved into his admiration for The Office US star Steve Carell, which prompted Imperioli to share a juicy trivia tidbit.
According to Imperioli, following Carell’s departure from the show at the end of season seven, the show were considering several high profile actors including the likes of James Spader to replace Carell’s Michael Scott. During this time, Gandolfini’s name was thrown into the ring.
“You know, they talked about having Gandolfini at one point replace him,” Imperioli told Gervais. “Did you know that?”
Schirripa added, “I think before James Spader and after [Steve] Carell, they offered [Gandolfini], I want to say, $4 million to play him for the season — and HBO paid him $3 million not to do it. That’s a fact.”
Gervais approved of HBO’s decision, adding, “Well that’s a good decision.”
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Schirripa went on to detail that Gandolfini was considering taking the role because he hadn’t worked in a while, and The Sopranos had finished airing years prior. “Jim was going do it because he hadn’t worked and it was a number of years removed from when the show ended,” he added.
“So they paid him that to keep the legacy of The Sopranos pure?” Gervais joked. You can check out the interview below.
In related news, the first trailer for the forthcoming The Sopranos prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark, was recently released. The film will focus on the teenage years of Tony Soprano, who will be played by James Gandolfini’s son, Michael Gandolfini.
The film will focus on the formative years of notorious mob boss Tony Soprano, who will be played in the film by James Gandolfini’s son, Michael Gandolfini.
