Key Points

In an excerpt from Jason Bailey's film historian book Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend (via Vulture), Chase states that Gandolfini wasn't "threatening enough" before ultimately casting him in the career-defining role.

According to Variety, during the show's development, Gandolfini's manager, Nancy Sanders, told Chase, "I think I have Tony Soprano."

However, David Chase wasn't immediately convinced.

"All right, here's the deal. I think he's brilliant. I have one concern, and that is, is he threatening enough?" said Chase told Sanders after checking out Gandolfini's reel as quoted by Variety.

Sanders stood up for the actor and quickly rebutted Chase's concerns.

"If you said to me, 'He's a little chubby,' or 'He's losing his hair,' I could understand. But he's threatening enough. This is your guy," said Sanders as quoted by Variety.

"The Sopranos" casting directors, Sheila Jaffe and Georgianne Walken, echoed Sanders' enthusiasm. They remembered that Gandolfini "was really our favorite idea from the beginning."

Notably, Gandolfini himself wasn't confident that he would land the role of Tony Soprano.

He recalled in the excerpt, "I think my exact words were, 'I could kick this guy right in the ass, but I'll never get cast. They'll hire some fucking pretty boy.' I thought they'd hire, you know, one of these Irish-looking guys who are all over TV now," as quoted by Variety.

As per the outlet, the actor was worried about working with Chase, however, after the pair met for breakfast, the series was a smooth sail for the duo.

"When he finally settled down and really did a reading, it was just obvious," Chase said on reaffirming his belief in Gandolfini for the lead role in 'The Sopranos'.

"The Sopranos" is currently streaming on Max.

- ANI