I just found out a surprising link between The Sopranos and this Steve Buscemi film

The Sopranos might be one of HBO’s biggest shows that have reached cult classic status. The 1999 hit TV show narrates the story of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a flawed character who tries to get away from his criminal background as the boss of the DiMeo crime family but fails. The show focuses on the mental struggles and how Tony is stuck in the cycle of crime, even when he is having difficulty maintaining it.

It is said that David Chase was inspired by several films, such as Goodfellas, to make The Sopranos. I found another film that had a major influence on this HBO show. Steve Buscemi’s debut directorial film, Trees Lounge, is also said to have inspired the series crucially. From hiring similar actors to following the bleak theme of the film, Chase took many notes from the comedy film to create his TV show.

More on this in our story.

The Sopranos and Trees Lounge had a similar vibe and theme

Buscemi’s Trees Lounge followed Tommy, played by Buscemi himself, a lonely and alcoholic man who spends most of his time in a bar called Trees Lounge. The film revolves around how Steve is given chances to change his life around, but still ends up in the same place where he was in the beginning: lonely and lost.

While The Sopranos might not have followed the exact situation, it did go darker as Tony also doesn’t get away from his criminal life at the end. Both shows followed a character who tried but failed to change their circumstances. However, the end did make the audience grow sympathetic toward the characters, as in Trees Lounge, Debbie becomes a reason for his downfall, and in The Sopranos, Tony does try to mend his ways, but his life spent in criminal ways catches up to him, and he doesn’t get a chance to get out of it and has to always look over his shoulder for any incoming danger.

Another influence could be seen in the similar small-town vibes in the series and the film. To make the film look more real, several lowlife and sleazy civilians were cast to emulate the vibe. Chase used the same concept when he hired people who had criminal backgrounds, such as Tony Sirico and Michael Squicciarini.

The similarity in the casts of The Sopranos and Trees Lounge

Another crucial influence that Trees Lounge had on The Sopranos was the casting choices. Chase hired the same casting directors, Georgianne Walken and Sheila Jaffe, from Trees Lounge, which resulted in characters with a similar outcast and rugged vibe like the film.

Not only that, several popular characters from the film were also hired for the HBO show, such as Michael Imperioli, who played Christopher Moltisanti and John Ventimiglia, who played Artie Bucco in the crime drama. Therefore, without Buscemi’s Tommy, a flawed and damaged character, we might not have met Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano.

But the greater connection would be Buscemi himself, who directed and wrote Trees Lounge and also starred in it. He portrayed a similar role in The Sopranos as he played Tony’s cousin named Tony Blundetto and also directed four episodes, including the fan-favorite episode, Pine Barrens.

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