The Sopranos may have had heavy themes, but the cast had a lot of fun, according to its stars
Michael Imperioli remembers one scene in particular that had the cast cracking up
He and Steve Schirripa share more memories from set in an exclusive chat with PEOPLE
Michael Imperioli is recalling his Sopranos days with a funny memory.
Speaking with PEOPLE exclusively while he and Sopranos costar Steve Schirripa partner with Sanpellegrino, the White Lotus actor reminisced about one scene that was particularly tricky to film.
Imperioli, 59, remembers shooting the season 3 scene following Livia Soprano’s funeral, in which the family returns to the house. “Janice [Aida Turturro] wanted everybody to say something about her, and [my character] said something about, some kind of esoteric thing about no two people are the same.”
In the painfully awkward scene, Janice pressures everyone at the repass to share a memory.
Related: Everything the ‘Sopranos’ Cast and David Chase Have Said About the Series Finale
“They say, there’s no two people on earth exactly the same,” Imperioli’s Christopher says. “No two faces, no two sets of fingerprints. But do they know that for sure? Because they would have to get everybody together in one huge space, and obviously that’s not possible even with computers.” His comments leave everyone confused and uncomfortable.
After tensions rise, Janice plays Livia’s favorite song, “If I Loved You” from Carousel.
“And, when they played the song from Carousel, we just all started laughing hysterically and they had to cut,” Imperioli added. “This happened at least 12 takes in a row.”
Sanpellegrino
Steve Schirripa and Michael Imperioli for Sanpellegrino
“So what should be one of the saddest scenes, right, cause it’s Livia’s funeral turned into this thing that we just couldn’t shoot because people were just laughing too much,” Imperioli added. “It’s actually a very fond memory.”
Schirripa, 67, mentioned how the closeness of the Sopranos cast and crew grew the longer they worked together. “You’re with these people, they become honestly like a family. Marriages, babies, divorces, so you, you’re all together.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Though there was some heavy times, there also was a lot of fun times. The Sopranos happens to be a very, very funny show,” he added. The show ran from 1999 to 2007.
Sanpellegrino
Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa for Sanpellegrino
Related: Michael Imperioli Reveals Who the Funniest Sopranos Cast Member Was When the Cameras Weren’t Rolling (Exclusive)
With Sanpellegrino, the Sopranos actors find themselves still associated with their characters Christopher Moltisanti and Bobby Baccalieri — despite the show being off-air for more than 15 years.
In their collaboration with the Italian sparkling beverage, Schirripa and Imperioli attempt to share CIAO’s new line of drinks. However, those they interact with still think they’re part of the mob and that the boxes of canned drinks are something sinister.
“We love the script, we thought it was really fun and, you know, just a fun take on how fans perceive us and, we also like Sanpellegrino,” Imperioli said of the ad. “It’s something that I’ve been a fan of for a long time and the new product, we think is just great.”
Added Schirripa, “People, when we were out in a restaurant or something, people will come over and they do think we’re not Steve and Michael, they kind of treat us like other people, you know, like our TV personas, shall we say.”
Read the original article on People
