There's no doubt about it, The Sopranos is one of the greatest television shows ever made.
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However, the show could have looked very different. According to Steven Van Zandt, speaking on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon on May 4, he was almost cast in the role of Tony Soprano.
"David Chase was in a mood to break all the rules, you know?" he said, referencing the creator of the hit series. "So he's going to decide to cast the lead with a guy who never acted before...And so it came close, and HBO was like, 'Are you out of your mind?'"
Van Zandt is best known for his role in the music industry. He's a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. He's also produced solo music at points in his career. Ultimately, Van Zandt didn't take the role, opening the door for James Gandolfini to be cast as Tony.
In hindsight, James' addition to the show was a masterstroke. It's hard to envision anyone else playing the mob boss. There's no guarantee the show could have been as successful if Van Zandt had taken the part.
Although Van Zandt turned down the role of Tony, David Chase still found a long-standing role for him.
Steven Van Zandt Played Silvio on 'The Sopranos'
Van Zandt was ultimately cast as Silvio, a consigliere to Tony. While it was never explicitly confirmed on the show, Silvio was likely a captain, or capo, too. He was certainly highly ranked within Tony's organization and had great respect throughout the mob.
"Chase created Silvio Dante, Tony's right-hand man and a consigliere in the DiMeo crime family. Silvio ultimately carried out some of the most brutal murders in the show's history," People wrote of Van Zandt's character. "Van Zandt's wife also appeared on 28 episodes of the show as Gabriella Dante, Silvio's wife."
So, even though Van Zandt didn't end up as the lead on The Sopranos, he still held a sizeable role in the show. Though it is fair to wonder whether the cast knew they had captured lightning in a bottle at the time, or whether they figured it out later.
