Michael Imperiolimade quite the first impression on the set ofThe Sopranos.In an exclusive preview of the new episode ofWho’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, the 56-year-old actor recalls lying about having a driver license and getting into a car crash with the series leadJames Gandolfini.“The first day of work, I had to drive him. I didn’t have a driver’s license, you know, but I didn’t tell anybody that because I wanted the job. Because Christopher’s job was to drive Tony,” he tells host Chris Wallace. “But Michael didn’t know how to drive. But I’m like, well, how hard could it be?“Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagicHowever, the scene didn’t go exactly to plan for Imperioli, who played Christopher Moltisanti, Tony’s protégé and member of the DiMeo crime family, on the hit HBO show.“I had to drive backwards down the sidewalk with trees on both sides and extras running out of the way. Delivering dialogue to Tony Soprano. Looking forward. I mean, that’s hard to do,” he admits. “Even if you know how to drive which I do now. I did it like four times the fifth time. Boom, right into the tree. The airbags go off, Jim’s head snaps back.““It’s my first day I met the guy. There’s smoke, people are running,” he adds. “And I’m like, ‘They’re gonna fire me, man, this is really bad.'“Meanwhile, Gandolfini — whodied of a heart attackin June 2013 at age 51 — had an unexpected reaction to the incident. “I look over and he’s laughing hysterically,” theBlue Bloodsstar recalls.EverettIn the clip, Imperioli — who is starring in the new season ofThe White Lotus— also opens up about the heavily debated ending ofThe Sopranosin 2007.As fans know, the final scene saw an anxious Tony Soprano alone in a booth at Holsten’s awaiting his family. With Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” in the background, Tony hears the bell dinging every time the door opens. Finally, the bell rings one last time as Steve Perry sings “Don’t stop!” and the screen cut to black.“I’ve gone back and forth. And then I thought maybe it’s just what you see is what you get,” Imperioli explains. “That’s the end of the story. There’s no dying, there’s no what if, there’s no what happened to Tony, it’s just ends right there. I don’t know.“He added, “It’s mysterious. People ask me that all the time.“HBOImperioli previously opened up aboutthe cast’s reaction to the show’s final scene.“We were all just, like, speechless,” he said during a conversation with theDirector’s Guild of Americain 2015. “First of all, you hear the music and you know that not only is this the end of the show, but it’s the end of all of us being together for all these years. So that’s hitting you emotionally and personally.““Some of the guys were not so happy with it,” he added. “They were a little bit surprised. They were expecting a more [definitive ending]. I always thought it was brilliant.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.The latest episode ofWho’s Talking to Chris Wallace?premieres Friday on HBO Max and will also air on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on CNN.
Michael Imperiolimade quite the first impression on the set ofThe Sopranos.
In an exclusive preview of the new episode ofWho’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, the 56-year-old actor recalls lying about having a driver license and getting into a car crash with the series leadJames Gandolfini.
“The first day of work, I had to drive him. I didn’t have a driver’s license, you know, but I didn’t tell anybody that because I wanted the job. Because Christopher’s job was to drive Tony,” he tells host Chris Wallace. “But Michael didn’t know how to drive. But I’m like, well, how hard could it be?”
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
However, the scene didn’t go exactly to plan for Imperioli, who played Christopher Moltisanti, Tony’s protégé and member of the DiMeo crime family, on the hit HBO show.
“I had to drive backwards down the sidewalk with trees on both sides and extras running out of the way. Delivering dialogue to Tony Soprano. Looking forward. I mean, that’s hard to do,” he admits. “Even if you know how to drive which I do now. I did it like four times the fifth time. Boom, right into the tree. The airbags go off, Jim’s head snaps back.”
“It’s my first day I met the guy. There’s smoke, people are running,” he adds. “And I’m like, ‘They’re gonna fire me, man, this is really bad.'”
Meanwhile, Gandolfini — whodied of a heart attackin June 2013 at age 51 — had an unexpected reaction to the incident. “I look over and he’s laughing hysterically,” theBlue Bloodsstar recalls.
Everett
In the clip, Imperioli — who is starring in the new season ofThe White Lotus— also opens up about the heavily debated ending ofThe Sopranosin 2007.
As fans know, the final scene saw an anxious Tony Soprano alone in a booth at Holsten’s awaiting his family. With Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” in the background, Tony hears the bell dinging every time the door opens. Finally, the bell rings one last time as Steve Perry sings “Don’t stop!” and the screen cut to black.
“I’ve gone back and forth. And then I thought maybe it’s just what you see is what you get,” Imperioli explains. “That’s the end of the story. There’s no dying, there’s no what if, there’s no what happened to Tony, it’s just ends right there. I don’t know.”
He added, “It’s mysterious. People ask me that all the time.”
HBO
Imperioli previously opened up aboutthe cast’s reaction to the show’s final scene.
“We were all just, like, speechless,” he said during a conversation with theDirector’s Guild of Americain 2015. “First of all, you hear the music and you know that not only is this the end of the show, but it’s the end of all of us being together for all these years. So that’s hitting you emotionally and personally.”
“Some of the guys were not so happy with it,” he added. “They were a little bit surprised. They were expecting a more [definitive ending]. I always thought it was brilliant.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
The latest episode ofWho’s Talking to Chris Wallace?premieres Friday on HBO Max and will also air on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on CNN.
source: people.com
