James Gandolfini may be known for playing hard-man gangster Tony Soprano in the critically acclaimed series, ‘The Sopranos’, but the actor had to find all his resolve when he was asked to film a scene which showed his character masturbating within the bathroom at a gas station.
The Sopranos’ James Gandolfini Refused To Do A Masturbating Scene
Quite rightly, the actor was taken aback by the request. After all, he is known for being such as hot tempered character. And yet, masturbation was probably the last thing on his mind when he came to work.
This played out in a massive standoff between James and the producers, given that the former had refused to do the scene.
According to a book written by James Andrew Miller called “Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers”, the actor “erupted over a script that called for Tony to dash into a gas-station bathroom and masturbate during a period when Tony was having an affair with feisty Realtor Julianna Skiff.”
Naturally, the producers were worried about how they should respond. The show was going into its sixth season, and its main star could have walked off the set.
Despite attempts to convince James to the contrary, he was adamant that things were going to go his way. And he made no secret over how enraged he was feeling.
The book added: “Do I have to do this? What the f*** is this? I’m not doing it.” But through it all, both sides were able to work things out. James would go on to perform the scene, and thus, alleviating any concerns over a potential bust-up on the set.
This begs the question: When can fans expect to see this scene. Well, before fans get their hopes up, it is important to note that the scene did not make the final episode.
That is not to say that it won’t be available once released via boxset, but in the meantime, it will be off the prime time screens. The following comments confirmed as much: “Gandolfini relented and played the scene as written.
“The gas-station sequence was shot but then edited out of the finished episode.” It is safe to say that James will not be doing a similar scene anytime soon. Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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