Michael Imperioli
has dedicated considerable time to contemplation over
“The Sopranos”
Given that the series concluded approximately two decades ago, this has been particularly evident on his podcast.
“Talking Sopranos.”
Now, he’s disclosing which of the cast members from the HBO series was the funniest off-screen.
Imperioli
told People
Tony Sirico, who played Paulie Walnuts Gualtieri, would frequently make his fellow actors laugh on set \”though he didn’t mean to.\”
According to the \”White Lotus\” actor, it was due to his persona.
Sirico died
at an assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at age 79 in July 2022.
\”He was an exceptionally distinctive and quirky individual—a wonderful person whom we adored and who also became a close friend,\” Imperioli stated about Sirico in the article released on Wednesday.
The \”Goodfellas\” actor commented, \”He had some health worries, tended to be suspicious at times, and could be quite self-centered—similar to Paulie Walnuts—which led to many entertaining and humorous situations.\”
Imperioli and Sirico collaborated throughout all six seasons of the cherished mafia series, which ran from 1999 to 2007.
When talking to people, Imperioli was accompanied by his previous costar.
Steve Schirripa
(Bobby Baccalieri), who also commended Sirico’s skills.
\”He was aware of whether he was being humorous or not — he defied categorization. He stood out as uniquely original,\” Schirripa stated.
In March 2023, Imperioli spoke out against the Oscars for conspicuously omitting Sirico along with actors Paul Sorvino and Tom Sizemore from the \”in memoriam\” section that pays tribute to notable figures in cinema and related fields who passed away during the previous year.
IMPERIOLI, SORVINO, SIRICO, and SIZEMORE,
posted on Instagram
Next to the headshots of all three actors, \”Last night at the Oscars, these incredibly talented performers went unrecognized by the Academy, which disappointed me greatly. It was both an honor and a privilege to collaborate with each one of these distinguished gentlemen, and their omission from such a significant event left me disheartened.\”