HBO Had to Pay $3 Million to Rob The Office Of The Sopranos Star

Summary:

• James Gandolfini was one of the most prominent TV actors of our time – he played Tony Soprano in The Sopranos, which ushered in a new era in television.
• Gandolfini could also join The Office, replacing Steve Carell, and was offered $4 million for the role.
• HBO reportedly paid the actor $3 million to turn down the role.
• As suggested by Gandolfini's colleagues, HBO dissuaded Gandolfini from joining The Office because of his upcoming role in the miniseries The Night Of, which he never got to do because of his death from a heart attack in 2013.

James Gandolfini became world famous playing Tony Soprano, a brutal, selfish mob boss, cold-blooded killer, and notorious womanizer on the TV cult series The Sopranos.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that television would not be what it is today if Gandolfini had not gotten the role and played it the way he did.

Without an actor capable of conveying the melancholy and soulfulness, the brutal strength and gentleness of Tony Soprano, the era of television anti-heroes so beloved by viewers would not have come.

James Gandolfini Could Replace Steve Carell

However, Gandolfini had a chance to star in another cult project, this time a humorous one.

Talking Sopranos podcast hosts Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa, two of Gandolfini's friends and coworkers from The Sopranos, mentioned that James could appear in the American version of The Office. Actor and comedian Ricky Gervais, who also created the original British version of The Office, was the guest on this episode.

Imperioli revealed during the sitcom discussion that NBC was thinking about casting Gandolfini in place of Steve Carell, who departed The Office in 2011 after seven seasons.

The show's writers reportedly offered Gandolfini about $4 million for a season of The Office, but HBO paid him $3 million to turn down the role. At the same time, Gandolfini himself was not opposed to joining the comedy, as The Sopranos had long since ended. Schirripa said:

“They offered Jim — I want to say $4 million — to play him for the season, and HBO paid him $3 million not to do it. That’s a fact.”

The Night Of Mini-Series Was Probably the Reason HBO Didn’t Let Gandolfini Go

Gervais suggested that HBO apparently did not want to give up its star to competitors, but Gandolfini's friends suggested that the reason was most likely due to an agreement – the actor was producing the mini-series The Night Of for HBO, in which he was also supposed to play one of the main roles, but died of a heart attack in 2013.

Steve Carell was eventually replaced as the boss on The Office by comedian Will Ferrell for a few episodes, followed by James Spader as Robert California.

Source: Talking Sopranos