This article contains spoilers
Michael Imperioli says the most harrowing scenes he had to film while on The Sopranos involved domestic violence.
Throughout a large portion of the series, Imperioli's character Christopher Moltisanti is in a relationship with Adriana La Cerva, played by Drea de Matteo. Even though Christopher is a violent individual and murders various people in The Sopranos, the actor has revealed that it was having to pretend to strike Adriana that caused him the most difficulty.
"The most brutal, difficult stuff for me is when Christopher had to be physically abusive with Adriana, for obvious reasons. On a technical level, you’re trying to be really careful so you don’t hurt the person," he said in an interview with The Guardian.
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"But having to get to that point of violence towards a woman, you have to go to some nasty places to get there. Sometimes it’s very immediate. Sometimes it’s something present in your life that you can tap into. Sometimes you have to go someplace from the past.
"And sometimes you have to go to someplace imaginary. It’s much easier shooting a mobster or shooting heroin. That stuff to me is not difficult. But that stuff with her was. Sometimes you’ll use stunt doubles, sometimes not. And even then, it’s one thing to choreograph and rehearse it, then when you act it full-tilt with all the emotion, it’s easy to not have as much control as in the rehearsal. So you really have to be quite careful."
Near the conclusion of The Sopranos, Christopher's drug addiction catches up to him as he crashes his car while high with Tony in the passenger seat. When Tony spots a baby carrier in the back seat, realising Christopher is a danger to himself and others, as well as an unstable individual who could be turned by the FBI, Tony murders him.
Imperioli's tribute to James Gandolfini
A decade ago, Sopranos star James Gandolfini passed away after suffering a heart attack in Rome. He was 51 years old.
Imperioli shared a picture of the pair on Instagram with the caption:
"Batman and Robin…my favourite picture of us and I can’t help thinking where we ended up that night and what you said. That was one for the books….It’s so very strange that it’s 10 years today since you left us. Would love to have shot one more scene or had another laugh or one more late night chat. Forever grateful to have done so much work together, to have spent so much time in your company and for all the generosity and kindness.
"Miss you lots as do so many on the planet."
For his role as Tony Soprano, Gandolfini won three Emmy Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and one Golden Globe Award. His son, Michael Gandolfini, played a younger version of the character in the Sopranos prequel, The Many Saints of Newark.
Related TV Show
Sopranos, The
Drama / Crime
1999-2007
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