'The Sopranos' Cast on What They Would Ask James Gandolfini If He Were Still Alive

The Sopranos aired its last episode in 2007 and its star James Gandolfini died seven years later in 2013 from a heart attack at the age of 51.

Since the show's ending and Gandolfini's death, the show's popularity has endured, remaining a revered example of prestige television and a pop-culture staple.

In 2021 fans were transported back to the world of Tony Soprano with the release of the prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark, starring the late Gandolfini's son, Michael playing his father's iconic role.

Starting last year, two of the show's stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schippra who played Christopher Moltisanti and Bobby Baccalieri respectively have been reliving the magic often series through their podcast, Talking Sopranos.

The podcast features many actors, writers, directors, producers, and others who were involved in the production of the series with Imperioli and Schippra discussing every single episode from the show's six-season run.

Of course, sadly, one person who is missing from all this is Gandolfini himself.

Newsweek spoke to Imperioli and Schippra about the release of their new book "Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos" and asked, if they could have the late James Gandolfini on the podcast, what would they have asked him?

"That's a good question," Imperioli said, while Schippra added: "That is a good question—we've never been asked that."

"I would ask him about, now that time is removed—he worked so hard. He was the workhorse and worked you know, 16 hour days and really didn't have much of a life while we were shooting. I would ask him how does that feel now?" Schippra said.

"Does he miss it? Does he miss the character of Tony Soprano?" he continued. "I'm sure he misses the guys and being on the set that I know I can answer that myself. But I would just ask him that, you know, and I probably would ask him to let's go out and have a drink, which we've done 1000s of times."

Imperioli said he would ask him about how he got into character as Tony Soprano.

"I would ask him that too. But because I've never heard it really talked about it. What was his way into the character? What did he base him on? What was his thoughts creating the character? How did he create the character? And what was he trying to do and how did that change over the course of you know, all the seasons?

He added: "Now that would be a good starting point for me."

Schippra concluded: "And he did so few interviews. Yeah. But we know that he would have done our podcast for sure."

"Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos" is available at bookstores now.