Michael Imperioli has spent a lot of time reflecting on “The Sopranos” since the show ended nearly 20 years ago, most notably on his podcast “Talking Sopranos.” Now, he’s revealing who was the HBO show’s funniest cast member behind the scenes.
Imperioli told People that Tony Sirico, who portrayed Paulie Walnuts Gualtieri, was always cracking up his co-stars on set “but not intentionally.”
It was “because of who he was,” according to the “White Lotus” star.
Sirico died at an assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at age 79 in July 2022.
“He was a very specific, eccentric, human being, a great guy that we loved and was a good friend,” Imperioli said of Sirico in the story published Wednesday.
The “Goodfellas” star added: “He was a bit of a hypochondriac, he was kind of paranoid and kind of egotistical and like Paulie Walnuts and, that made for a lot of fun and funny moments.”
Imperioli and Sirico worked together on all six seasons of the beloved mobster drama, which aired from 1999 to 2007.
While speaking with People, Imperioli was joined by his former co-star Steve Schirripa (Bobby Baccalieri), who also sang Sirico’s praises.
“He knew if he was being funny or not — he broke the mold. He was one of a kind,” Schirripa said.
In March 2023, Imperioli criticized the Oscars for noticeably leaving Sirico as well as actors Paul Sorvino and Tom Sizemore out of an “in memoriam” segment honoring stars and Hollywood creatives who had lost their lives that past year.
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“SORVINO, SIRICO and SIZEMORE,” Imperioli wrote in an Instagram post alongside headshots of all three actors. “These three brilliant actors were forgotten by the Academy last night at the Oscars. I was proud and honored to have worked with all three of these men and it saddened me to see Hollywood ignore them on its biggest night.”
