Steve Schirripa may not be back The Soprano family universe soon.
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE as he teams up with Freshpet, Schirripa, 67, talks about whether he’d ever revisit The Sopranos the universe of mobsters and gabagools.
“Well, I think we would have, to be honest, if it was Jim [James Gandolfini] he didn’t pass away,” he says. “I think we’re too old now. I think we could have… and I think Jim was all for it. He said he did because he had to get away from Tony Soprano for a few years.” “He said, ‘I have to retire,’ and he did that for about two to three years. I think he would have done it, but we’re too old now, all of us, but it was an incredible legacy to be a part of.” Blue Bloods continues the actor.
Steve Schirripa and Willie.
Andrew Southam for Freshpet
Blue Bloods Star Steve Schirripa’s daughter Ciara got married in a wedding in New York! See photos (exclusive)
Schirripa appeared on The Soprano family as Bobby “Bacala” Baccalieri alongside an all-star cast that includes Gandolfini, who died in 2013, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli and Lorraine Bracco, to name a few.
Of The Soprano family was broadcast in 2007, a prequel film Many Newark Saints was the only addition to the series’ universe — starring Gandolfini’s son, Michael, as a young Tony Soprano.
The PEOPLE Puzzler has arrived! How fast can you solve it? Play now!
Schirripa also talks about what it’s like to be a part of the show’s legacy, more than 25 years after it premiered. “I think it’s, if not the greatest show in television history, certainly one of them. And I believe they’ll still be watching it 25 or 50 years from now.”
“I think it’s so clever, so funny,” he continues, referring to the podcast The Talking Sopranos he did with Imperioli, 58. “I haven’t watched the show since it started. I’d watch it on Sundays like everyone else.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(499x0:501x2)/SteveSchirripathe-sopranos-25th-anniversary-01102468-c6c080cb1a8f493d918c7289abdfce59.jpg)
Steve Schirripa 2024.
Dia Dipasupil/WireImage
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
He went back to watch the show again for the podcast and “appreciated it a lot more after I retired from it.”
“Getting into any TV show is very difficult. Getting into this one is like hitting the lottery twice.”
Steve Schirripa was double-crossed for the first season of ‘The Sopranos’: ‘It cost me $24,000 to make $22,000!’
Schirripa appears in a commercial with Freshpet that brings him back to “The Sopranos way.” His dachshund inspired him to work with the brand. “I have a dog, Willie Boy, who has been eating Freshpet for the past few years.”
“They sent me the script, and after playing a detective for the last nine years, it was fun to get back into that old Sopranos mode,” he says, adding, “I thought it was a very smart, very smart and very funny ad.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education