James Gandolfini’s co-star was surprised the actor agreed to film his ‘Sopranos’ fate after that infamous cut to black

James Gandolfini will forever be remembered for his role as Tony Soprano in the iconic HBO series The Sopranos. First airing in 1999, the series ran for six seasons, with the final season having 21 episodes.

This was the last scene of the season where Tony Soprano was sitting with his family in a restaurant. As the customers were visiting the restaurant and ordering from the menu, the screen immediately cuts to black and the music stops. This scene became famous as the famous blackout scene.

James Gandolfini had future plans for Tony Soprano

The series finale was critically acclaimed, and many theories have been put forward to justify the cut to black. With most fans suggesting that Tony Soprano was shot in the head, the truth may not be that simple.

Three years after the series finale aired, a 10-minute short film was made featuring James Gandolfini and Edie Falco’s characters on screen. The couple was enjoying married life but was under witness protection!

In an interview on Chuck D’s podcast Shattered: Hope, Heartbreak, and the New York KnicksEdie Falco (who plays Carmela Soprano on screen) has revealed some shocking details about Tony Soprano’s fate.

At the time, we were asked for this kind of thing all the time, but Jim Gandolfini didn’t do it. And then he did it, which shocked me. I thought it was a joke when someone said Jim was going to do it.

The short film was directed by Jonathan Hock and shows that Tony Soprano actually lived and was in witness protection. However, it is unclear whether the short film was meant to be released to the public or not.

James Gandolfini had problems with Tony Soprano

Playing an Italian-American mob boss certainly took a toll on James Gandolfini’s personal life. From the physical toll of acting to getting into character as Soprano, Gandolfini pushed himself beyond his limits.

Edie Falco once revealed that she had a conversation with James Gandolfini about his health. According to the actress, Gandolfini revealed that he wasn’t doing very well because of his character (via FarOut Magazine).

I had a conversation with Jim once when he was in a really bad place. He said, “They don’t understand what it’s like for me to do this show and where I have to go.”

However, Gandolfini’s love and dedication to the show was surely enough for fans and the world at large. The Sopranos has become one of the most iconic series of all time.

The series received a 9.2/10 rating on IMDB and a whopping 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. With 6 seasons under its belt, The Sopranos is available to stream on Max in the US