Alec Baldwin has a storied career that saw him take on numerous iconic roles on both the big screen and television. But despite this, he never got to fulfill his dream of starring in HBO’s legendary crime drama The Sopranos.
Baldwin recently made an appearance on the Talking Sopranos podcast, hosted by series stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa, and revealed that he once relentlessly pursued a very specific role on the show. According to the Emmy Award-winning actor, he wanted to play a man who gets to “whack” mob boss Tony Soprano and then “ride off” with Tony’s wife Carmela.
Unfortunately for Baldwin, his attempts were unsuccessful. “They were like, ‘Sure, great. We’ll add your name to the list of all the Irish actors who think that they should be on The Sopranos,” said Baldwin about the response he got.
The reason why Baldwin didn’t get a call might have to do with the fact that his idea would completely change the show’s ending.
If you watched The Sopranos, then you probably know that the character Baldwin describes doesn’t exist. The show ends with Tony sitting to have dinner with his family, and there is no indication that someone might “whack” him and “ride off” with his wife.
There is also a chance that Alec Baldwin missed out on The Sopranos appearance because of his awkward run-in with the show’s creator David Chase. Baldwin told Imperioli and Schirripa that he first met Chase in a bathroom of a Four Seasons restaurant while trying to dry off his shirt with a mechanical dryer.
“And I think based on that alone, I was never cast on your show,” he explained.
You can watch Baldwin’s appearance on Talking Sopranos in full below.
