James Gandolfini gave out $30k cheques to his castmates as a bonus.
The late James Gandolfini is often looked as the single biggest reason why The Sopranos is considered one of the most iconic shows of all time. As the mob boss Tony Soprano, Gandolfini brought to life one of the most favored anti-heroes of all time, on the HBO series.
And while he pulled off a range of difficult-to-watch actions during his time on the show, it seems as if Gandolfini was firmly a hero, off-screen. A new HBO documentary, Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos, revealed that the actor went ahead and paid more than $30k each to each of his castmates on the show.
James Gandolfini paid fellow The Sopranos cast members $30,000 each
Series creator David Chase recalled James Gandolfini’s generosity in the documentary, stating, (via NY Post)
He was great to that crew. He made them laugh, and he gave the other cast members $30,000.
Gandolfini, was reportedly moved by a sense of fairness when he learned that his co-stars were unaware they could negotiate higher salaries. As host David Chase also commented:
I think he felt HBO had f–ked them, and he wanted to do something to make up for it. I think there was also a shred of regret for the days he didn’t show up for work.
As the superstar of the show, he was brought in for $5 million a season, which was doubled after the third season was aired.
However, it was known to him that not all of his castmates had negotiated such huge numbers, leading to him handing out $30k cheques. Via the documentary, Drea de Matteo said,
When Jim [Gandolfini] got the deal, none of us even knew it was on the table. Like we didn’t know to negotiate. I think he felt terrible about that. So, he called us into his trailer, one by one, and gave everybody a check for $30,000.
However, quite surprisingly, Gandolfini did not extent the same generosity to his on-screen wife, Edie Falco.
Edie Falco never received a bonus from Gandolfini!
Despite his generosity, Gandolfini did not extend the $30,000 gesture to his on-screen wife, Edie Falco, who played Carmela Soprano. In the documentary, Falco appeared visibly surprised by the revelation, saying, (NY Post)
What? I never got $30,000. Alright… I don’t know anything about that. He gave money to cast members? That sounds like him. He was a very good-hearted kind man, looking out for his friends.
Despite being skipped, Falco obviously has only good things to say about Gandolfini. The lack of the cheque also comes as no surprise, as apart form Gandoflini, Edie Falco was the other obvious star who had already made a name for herself in the industry.
Gandolfni may have simply been looking out for people he thought had been done badly by HBO, despite The Sopranos becoming an instant hit.
