Luxury Watches, Late-Night Beach Parties and a Last Shot That Almost Didn’t Happen: Inside the Final Season of ‘The Sopranos’ (Exclusive Excerpt)

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Approximately twenty years have passed since The Sopranos concluded its final episode, but the HBO series, together with its complex protagonist Tony Soprano, continues to be as celebrated and contemporary as ever. In his new biography titled “Gandolfini: Jim, Tony and the Life of a Legend”, author and critic Jason Bailey offers an enlightening and comprehensive portrayal of star James Gandolfini through extensive research and interviews with his relatives, friends, and most notably, his Sopranos co-stars. This exclusive excerpt reveals some anecdotes that underscore the late Gandolfini’s unwavering commitment to his fellow actors, the challenges he faced during the seven demanding seasons, and how his presence behind the scenes impacted the series – from his efforts to secure higher wages for everyone involved to a pivotal sunrise shot saved on location in Las Vegas. The book will be available on shelves starting April 29.

Goodbye, Tony

HBO’s decision to split the final season of a popular show, such as Breaking Bad and Mad Men, into two parts was financially motivated, with the intention to avoid further salary negotiations. This move effectively made the final season consist of two shorter seasons, or seasons 6 and 7, produced and released separately but more frequently. David Chase, the creator, admitted this was a contractual decision. However, this tactic did not prevent the actors from renegotiating their salaries before production started in July 2006. Tony Sirico, Steven Van Zandt, Lorraine Bracco, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Robert Iler, and Steven Schirripa were among those who sought salary increases for the final nine episodes. Jim, with a $1 million per episode contract, discretely assisted his castmates in their negotiations. David Chase referred to these last nine episodes as season 7, and we will adhere to this nomenclature.

Tony Soprano’s portrayer, James Gandolfini, didn’t seem to pour all his passion into his work during the extended filming of season 6. It’s likely due to the brief break after these long shoots that he felt a touch of exhaustion, or burnout. In later reflections, he admitted feeling anger about various aspects of the production, but ultimately questioned where this anger was coming from, stating, “What in heaven’s name would I have to be angry about?” He acknowledged the immense value David Chase provided him, not only in personal growth and acting experience, but also financially.

In 2019, Chase expressed that by the finale of ‘The Sopranos’, he felt weary of the show itself and also of me. Similarly, I had grown tired of his character’s flaws. In essence, that was the extent of our exhaustion with each other.

As a gamer, I’d rephrase that as: “I don’t think I could dive back into a role like that anymore. It drains you. When the series wrapped up, it was overdue – way overdue. It had been a marathon and despite my affection for the crew, it was time to hit pause. And let’s face it, quite a few of them were already offline.

In the final stages, another obstacle arose: Albrecht announced that the production had to be temporarily halted starting July 2006 due to Jim needing surgery on an old knee injury. This delay would only last for a few weeks, but it ultimately moved the Season 7 premiere to April 2007 to avoid conflicts with events such as the Super Bowl, Oscars, and other significant Sunday events early in the year.

The surgery of the main actor necessitated some minor adjustments to our filming plan. Originally, “Soprano Home Movies,” the season opener where Tony and Carmela visit Bobby and Janice’s lake house, was filmed on location. However, due to the risky nature of a fight scene in that episode, it was too hazardous to perform near the actor’s surgery site; the director stated, “I can’t do this, I can’t do it right.” After some time had passed and the physical demands were reduced, the interior scenes were recreated at Silvercup Studios. During filming, which lasted a day and a half, the actors aimed to make the fight scene as authentic as possible; “We decided to make it as real as we could,” said one of the actors. The stuntmen choreographed the fight, but apart from the final scene where the actor falls over a table, all other actions were performed by the actors themselves. The outcome was a raw, messy, and strikingly realistic brawl between two men who had reached their breaking point, as one of the actors put it, “It was like watching two overweight, sweaty bears fighting.

During “The Second Coming” episode, not the most distressing event of the season, Tony dramatically rescues A.J. from a near-fatal drowning attempt. In their chilled backyard pool (formerly home to his cherished ducks), he lunges to pull A.J. back from danger. Initially angry with his son, he later softens, embracing him tenderly like an infant. This scene is heart-wrenching and some of the most poignant acting in the entire series. “It was simpler because we were miserable,” Iler explains. “It was December in New Jersey, and we were plunging into the pool then getting out onto the freezing cold concrete. It wasn’t like we were in LA, enjoying a warm pool on a sunny day with music playing. Instead, it was strangely uncomfortable.

After wrapping up a thrilling day of filming in Miami, I seized the moment to unwind and let loose – as any gamer turned actor would do! As we returned to our hotel, I found my fellow crew members, from the lead actor down to the production assistants, having a blast at the poolside. Mark Kamine, our location manager, was there too, and he remembers me handing him a bottle of cognac with a friendly greet. The party grew lively, but some hotel guests began to voice concerns, so we decided to migrate to a nearby beach. We sipped beers on the sandy shores, considering a daring midnight dip. “The waves seem quite powerful,” Mark warned me, hinting at potential risks like rip currents.

“What, you’re gonna save me, Mark?” Jim asked with a smirk, before running in.

Kamine stated that he simply wished to continue,” Kamine said. “He was open-minded, as you can imagine? He wasn’t elitist; there was no air of exclusivity like, ‘Some individuals aren’t welcome because they’re not influential or part of the industry. Instead, it was more like, Who cares. Fancy a gathering? You’re invited. It was quite pleasant.

Chase elected to helm “Made in America,” the final episode series – his first time behind the camera since the pilot. It seems he favored this environment as the last rehearsal took place within the writers’ room. Upon its conclusion, Kornacki recounts, “the atmosphere was filled with a profound stillness.” Everyone remained seated at the table, an unusual occurrence because typically people would rise and say their goodbyes with lighthearted comments. However, this time everyone was rooted to their seat, enveloped in a hush that was only broken by quiet sobs from some members of the team. There was an intense feeling of melancholy, as if saying goodbye to something significant, leaving everyone wondering what the future held. The mood was somber and heavy with the weight of finality.

The episode’s production was equally intense. “It was incredibly emotional,” Chase reminisced, “and I recall Silvio wasn’t dead, but he was unconscious in bed. And I remember when we finished filming Stevie, Jim approached me and said, ‘Well, that marks the end of us working with a rockstar.’ This memory made him chuckle, yet it was tinged with sadness. ‘I felt it then,’ he reflected, ‘and I felt it about Jim, because I also felt, ‘That’s the end of us collaborating.'” He smiled at the recollection, but it held a hint of wistfulness.

On March 22, 2007, the cast and team gathered at Holsten’s Brookdale Confectionery in Bloomfield, New Jersey, to film the concluding scene of the last episode. Rumors had spread, so many spectators amassed outside the vintage ice cream shop; someone even started selling shirts for $20 each featuring an image of the location and the words “The Final Episode.” (It seemed like it wouldn’t happen; Chase had written the scene with Holsten’s in mind, but a week before the planned shooting date, the Bloomfield Town Council prohibited the show from filming there, yielding to pressure from the mayor and local Italian-American groups—another contentious issue on their way. However, the decision was reversed, and the shoot was rescheduled.)

Usually, when we filmed scenes, whether indoors or outdoors, it felt as if no one knew what was happening,” Iler explains. But when word spread that we were shooting ‘the final scene’, the finale, things changed. They covered the windows and other precautions were taken. Stepping outside was a strange experience, unlike anything we were accustomed to. Normally, you’d feel immersed in the scene’s atmosphere as soon as you walked through the door, ready to perform; this time it disrupted our focus. Being outside felt surreal, with people shouting and asking questions. Then, we’d close that door and think, ‘Now we’re at work.’

On that particular shooting day, Chase remarked it seemed quite ordinary. His focus was solely on the job at hand. Regarding Jim’s performance, Chase stated that he didn’t provide any guidance because he believed Jim didn’t require it.

Every season finale, Jim would generously bestow gifts on the cast and staff. His swan song gift to his coworkers was particularly lavish: He presented each employee, actor, scriptwriter, producer, and crew member – totaling over two hundred – with a special-edition Kobold watch. The phrase “RIP Sopranos 1997–2007” was engraved on the back of each watch. Schirripa marvels, saying, “I can’t fathom how much he must have spent; it might as well be half a million dollars!” He has never worn his watch and keeps it in a safety deposit box instead.

As a gamer, I had an unexpected treat in store before wrapping up my favorite show, “Made in America.” Instead of filming the final episode, director Alan Taylor returned to shoot the closing scenes for the penultimate episode, titled “Kennedy and Heidi.” Here’s the twist: due to its Vegas setting, this episode was scheduled last for the entire season. So, even though we had already completed the series, we flew out to Las Vegas, staying at the grand Caesars Palace. As Alan explained, “Because it was in Vegas, that was put at the end of the whole schedule for the last season.

In the final scene, Jimmy is seen shedding tears as the sun breaks over Red Rock Canyon, uttering, “I understand now.” This location was approximately an hour beyond Las Vegas, with a pre-dawn wake-up call. According to director of photography Alik Sakharov, it was around 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning, and the gate was locked. “We were all going crazy because the sun was about to rise within a few minutes, and we needed to prepare for a shot,” he recalls. Eventually, the necessary official, who had overslept, arrived to unlock the gate. “With only about twenty-five minutes until sunrise, we had to swiftly arrange the truck, set up multiple cameras, dress Jimmy, line everything up, and capture it all,” Sakharov explained. In the rush, it was Jimmy who took charge, rolling up his sleeves, unloading equipment from the grip truck, and assisting the crew with sandbags, tracks, and dollies.

Sakharov tried to stop him: “Jimmy, man, go get dressed!”

Gandolfini simply requested a shirt, that was it,” he emphasized. “Perhaps some powder too. Nothing more than that.

Eventually, as the crew completed their tasks just three minutes before dawn, Jim made his way to his designated spot. He was thoroughly checked over by the makeup artist—he’d broken a sweat during setup—and lightly powdered; the costume department then draped a shirt over him. Sakharov chuckled and said, “Time for camera moves, sunrise, and Jimmy delivers an exceptional performance in a single take. We captured it with two cameras. And that was it. That’s who Jimmy was.

From the forthcoming publication titled “Gandolfini: Jim, Tony & the Journey of an Icon” (Abrams Press), written by Jason Bailey and available for purchase starting April 29, 2025. Copyright © 2025 Jason Bailey.

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2025-04-22 17:55