Despite the argument, Turturro and Gandolfini made up quickly, delivering powerful performances that became characteristic of The Sopranos.
James Gandolfini’s performance as Tony Soprano is easily one of the most impressive and intense TV arcs ever seen. The sheer intensity and range that Gandolfini offered during the show’s six-season run made The Sopranos one of the most popular series of all time.
However, behind the scenes, the intensity sometimes led to real-life confrontations. One such moment occurred between Gandolfini and his on-screen sister, Aida Turturro, during an emotional scene that blurred the lines between fiction and reality.
Aida Turturro fell in love with James Gandolfini the moment they met!
Turturro, who played Tony’s sister, Janice, had a close relationship with James Gandolfini long before The Sopranos aired. The two actors, just like on-screen, shared a sibling-like relationship off it as well. She shared (via Slash Film)
I knew him from 1992 and we used to fight back then, not really fight, but we were like husband and wife. I fell in love with him the first time we met; I felt like we were kindred spirits. I was like, ‘Listen, you’re not the boss of me, mister!’ and I used to drive him crazy.
Their natural chemistry helped bring authenticity to their characters, as Janice frequently clashed with Tony in the show. However, during one particular scene, this dynamic ended up resulting in an actual confrontation.
According to their co-star Steve Schirripa, the situation intensified when Turturro felt that Gandolfini wasn’t giving her enough attention during a take.
First it was your characters arguing, but then you and Jim got into an argument. You got mad because you thought he wasn’t looking at you, right? They were shooting your part of the scene, the camera was turned around toward you, and you wanted him to be paying attention, so you could play off him, and he was just kind of ignoring you. And you got mad.
Turturro admitted that she lost her temper, but claimed that it was down to her being sick, that she initially lost her temper.
The Sopranos crew initially thought the confrontation was part of a scene!
As it happened, Turturro claimed that it was because she was sick, that she ended up losing her temper in the first place. The actress claimed that she only blamed her health for the fight:
I got really mad! I actually was really sick that day, I swear to God. I had some major flu or whatever it was. Jimmy was the most giving actor, so he never wasn’t there. Now, maybe I was sensitive because I was ill, but I went bananas.
In response, Gandolfini, who himself had a short fuse, ended up walking away:
He got so mad at me, he walked away. He goes, ‘I don’t f***ing give a s***.’ Everybody wasn’t sure. At first, they thought it was part of the scene, and then they were like, ‘I think they’re really fighting!’
However, just like actual brothers and sisters, the two ended up making up just as quickly. Schirripa revealed that the confrontation blew over, and the two hugged each other before each delivering a masterful performance. That, of course, was the norm, when it came to The Sopranos.
