Alec Baldwin wanted to be one of the most famous killers on television.
The three-time Emmy Award winner has revealed that he once pursued a major role on HBO’s critically acclaimed drama, “The Sopranos.”
The role he hoped to bring to life was that of the man who kills New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano (played by James Gandolfini) and riding off into the sunset with his wife, Carmela (played by Edie Falco).
“I called up whoever it was … and said … there’s only one man in this business who should come in, whack Jimmy, and ride off with Edie, and I am that man,” Baldwin recalled to “Sopranos” co-stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa on a recent episode of their “Talking Sopranos” podcast.
“They were like, ‘Sure, great. We’ll add your name to the list of all the Irish actors who think that they should be on ‘The Sopranos,’” he quipped.
The controversial actor had his pedigree to back him up — and a professional connection with Gandolfini, with whom he appeared in films such as the 1996 legal thriller “The Juror” and the Tennessee Williams play “A Streetcar Named Desire” in 1992.
He ultimately never got chance to appear on the hit series because viewers were literally left in the dark about the future of Tony Soprano during the infamous open-ended cut-to-black final scene in 2007.
Baldwin believes an unexpected bathroom run-in with show creator David Chase may have cost him a chance at the potential role.
“I’m holding my shirt up to the mechanical dryer, and the door opens, and… this is my introduction to David Chase,” Baldwin explained. “He goes, ‘Alec Baldwin? What the f— are you doing, drying your shirt in the bathroom at the Four Seasons restaurant?’ And I think based on that alone, I was never cast on your show.”
The incident occurred during what he referred to as one particularly hot day in Southern California where he was looking to dry off his sweat-drenched suit, while running late for a meeting.
Though the “Glengarry Glen Ross” star never got to check a “Sopranos” appearance off of his bucket list, he still describes himself as a “superfan” of the show.
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