Movies - TV
A Sopranos Scene Between Tony And Janice Turned Into A Real-Life Shouting Match
By SHAE SENNETT
“The Sopranos” involved a lot of intense back-and-forth, but perhaps no one butted heads with James Gandolfini’s character Tony as much as his sister Janice, played by Aida Turturro. In fact, the contentious brother-sister dynamic came naturally to the two actors, who had known each other prior to the show, and their playful bickering in real life mimicked a family's intimacy.
During a scene when Janice goes to anger management, their on-screen argument became so heated that it bled into reality, resulting in Gandolfini and Turturro screaming at each other. Co-star Steve Schirripa recalled that the fight started while shooting Turturro’s part of the scene with the cameras on her, and she wanted to play off Gandolfini, but he kept ignoring her.
Turturro blamed her sickness that day more than Gandolfini for her anger, “I had some major flu or whatever it was,” adding, “[Gandolfini] got so mad at me, he walked away. He goes, 'I don't f***ing give a s***.'” The confrontation delayed the shoot, but the two actors returned after a break, hugged each other, and brilliantly delivered the scene.