Many will agree that The Sopranos is one of the best crime drama television series of all time, however, some Hollywood veterans don’t understand its hype. Legendary actor Robert De Niro, who was almost cast as Tony Soprano in the show, once claimed that he has never watched the show.
Not just De Niro, but director Martin Scorsese has also stated that he only watched one episode of the show and had a hard time understanding it. The director, who has created various mob-related projects, explained that he didn’t understand that generation of the underworld. Many may disagree with these Hollywood legends, including the Writers Guild of America, as the organization named The Sopranos the best-written TV series of all time in 2013.
Robert De Niro has never watched The Sopranos
In 2015, actor Robert De Niro sat down with Cigar Aficionado magazine’s Marvin R. Shanken to talk about his career. During the conversation, De Niro was asked if he had ever watched The Sopranos, and the actor replied (via The Hollywood Reporter),
“No,” adding, “I heard about it. It was very good.”
Not many people know that before James Gandolfini, Robert De Niro was considered for the role of Tony Soprano since he had experience working in mob-related projects like The Godfather Part II (1974) and Goodfellas (1990).
Martin Scorsese has only watched one episode of The Sopranos
Legendary director Martin Scorsese appeared for an interview with Sight & Sound magazine in 2019 and revealed that he was only able to watch one episode of The Sopranos,
“I think I only saw one episode of The Sopranos, for example, because I can’t identify with that generation of the underworld. They live in New Jersey with the big houses? I don’t get it. They use language – four-letter words – in front of their daughters, at the dinner table? I don’t get that. I just didn’t grow up that way.”
The Sopranos was well-received by the fans, earning several prestigious awards, including Peabody Awards for its first two seasons, 21 Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards. The show is widely regarded as one of the best crime drama shows of all time. Fans and critics have praised the performances of the main cast, especially James Gandolfini. Even today, The Sopranos stands as one the most influential shows that will continue to influence the crime drama genre.
