James Gandolfini Was Paid Millions to Turn Down 'The Office' Role, According to 'Sopranos' Stars | THR News - video Dailymotion

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During the latest episode of their 'Talking Sopranos' podcast, Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa shared details around a deal they say gave James Gandolfini $3 million to turn down a leading role on the hit NBC comedy.

Transcript

00:00Two Sopranos stars say James Gandolfini was paid millions to turn down a role on NBC's The Office.

00:06Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirippa spoke about the reported deal during the latest episode of

00:10their Talking Sopranos podcast, which featured guest Ricky Gervais. The star of the original

00:15UK Office series offered praise and appreciation for NBC Office star Steve Carell when Imperioli

00:21interjected. You know, they talked about having Gandolfini at one point replace him. Did you know

00:26that? No. Schirippa went on to reveal why he says it ultimately didn't happen. I think before James

00:33Spader and after Carell, they offered Jim, I want to say $4 million to play him for the season and

00:42HBO paid him $3 million not to do it. Gervais called it a quote, good decision on Gandolfini's part

00:49before Schirippa explained his interest in taking on the role. And Jim was going to do it because he

00:53hadn't worked. And it was a number of years removed from when the show ended. And yeah.

01:00While Gervais jokingly asked about whether HBO had paid Gandolfini, who died in 2013, to quote,

01:06keep the legacy of The Sopranos pure, Schirippa pointed to a deal the actor still had with the

01:10studio. Well, I guess that and also he had a deal with them. He was doing The Night Of. He was

01:16developing that. Right, right. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to HBO for comment.

01:21Gandolfini's near turn on the popular sitcom was revealed back in 2020 in Rolling Stone writer

01:26Andy Green's book, The Office, The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s,

01:30An Oral History. For more on this story, go to THR.com. For The Hollywood Reporter News,

01:35I'm Tiffany Taylor.

James Gandolfini Was Paid Millions to Turn Down 'The Office' Role, According to 'Sopranos' Stars | THR News

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