Van Zandt said series creator David Chase wanted to 'break all the rules'
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Steven-Van-Zandt-james-gandolfini-sopranos-55265526-ea9dbd7d195a4a4c8d5dbaa64083b298.jpg "Steve Van Zandt, James Gandolfini, The Sopranos")
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NEED TO KNOW
- Steven Van Zandt opened up about auditioning to play Tony Soprano
- He said The Sopranos creator David Chase wanted to ‘break all the rules’ and cast someone with no acting experience
- The musician said that ultimately, Chase created the role of Silvio for him
Steven Van Zandt could have played Tony Soprano.
Van Zandt, 75, opened up about almost being cast as the title role in The Sopranos in a May 4 interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Before his audition for The Sopranos, Van Zandt was known for his work as a musician; he is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and has also had two solo ventures.
Fallon, 51, asked Van Zandt, “Is this true that you were actually originally supposed to play Tony Soprano?”
Credit: Globe Photos/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock
Van Zandt confirmed it. “David Chase was in a mood to break all the rules, you know?” he said, referencing the creator of the hit series. “So he's going to decide to cast the lead with a guy who never acted before.”
Van Zandt remembered, “And so it came close, and HBO was like, ‘Are you out of your mind?' ” With a laugh, Van Zandt remembered them saying, “This is a big investment for us.”
Fallon also showed a clip of Van Zandt auditioning for Tony. His hair was slicked back behind his ears and he wore a black-and-blue shirt as he recited one of Tony's monologues from the pilot episode of the series.
Eventually, James Gandolfini was cast as Tony instead. But Chase, 80, still wanted Van Zandt. “He said, ‘You can have any role you want,' ” Van Zandt remembered. But, he said, “I'm starting to feel guilty about taking an actor's job, 'cause my wife's a real actor. I see what she goes through.” Van Zandt married actress Maureen Santoro in 1982.
But Chase was flexible. “He said, ‘Okay. You're not gonna take an actor's job. I'm going to write you in a new part that doesn't exist.' ” Chase created Silvio Dante, Tony's right-hand man and a consigliere in the DiMeo crime family. Silvio ultimately carried out some of the most brutal murders in the show's history. Van Zandt's wife also appeared on 28 episodes of the show as Gabriella Dante, Silvio's wife.
The Sopranos, which also starred Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Drea de Matteo and the late Tony Sirico, ran for six seasons, from 1999 to 2007. The series won 21 Primetime Emmy Awards, including three for Gandolfini's performance as Tony. Van Zandt won the Screen Actors Guild Award for best ensemble at the 2000 and 2008 ceremonies.
Van Zandt has also continued to act, with roles on the 2012 series Lilyhammer, 2019's The Irishman and 2024's The Trainer. As a member of The E Street Band (who are currently on tour with Springsteen), he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
In 2024, Van Zandt was the subject of HBO's Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple and Chase remembered what drew him to the musician. "He piqued my attention. He was really funny — glued you to the TV and very charismatic. I said, 'That guy's gotta be in the show,'" Chase said.
Van Zandt was worried about how a “rock and roller” would come across on TV, but eventually said yes.
When he was cast as Silvio, he remembered in the doc, "I wrote a whole biography on him. He grew up with Tony Soprano — that was his best friend. And I kind of used my relationship with Bruce.”