David Chase Almost Passed on James Gandolfini for ‘The Sopranos’ Over One Big Doubt: ‘Is He Threatening Enough?’

Imagine The Sopranos without James Gandolfini. It almost happened — and all because creator David Chase wasn’t sure if Gandolfini could be scary enough to pull it off.

In a new excerpt from Jason Bailey’s upcoming book Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend (via Vulture), Chase opens up about the moment of hesitation that nearly changed TV history. Despite being impressed by Gandolfini’s acting chops, Chase still had a nagging doubt.

“I think he’s brilliant,” Chase said after watching Gandolfini’s reel. “I have one concern: is he threatening enough?”

Luckily, Gandolfini’s manager, Nancy Sanders, wasn’t about to let that doubt stick. She fired back: “If you said to me, ‘He’s a little chubby’ or ‘He’s losing his hair,’ I could understand. But he’s threatening enough. This is your guy.”

Casting directors Sheila Jaffe and Georgianne Walken were already all-in on Gandolfini. “He was really our favorite idea from the beginning,” they recalled.

Funny enough, Gandolfini himself didn’t exactly ooze confidence about his chances either. “I think my exact words were, ‘I could kick this guy right in the ass, but I’ll never get cast,’” he said, convinced they’d go with some polished TV pretty boy instead.

There were other fears too — Gandolfini assumed David Chase would be “a pain in the ass” to work with. But after one breakfast meeting, all the doubts — on both sides — seemed to disappear.

“When he finally settled down and really did a reading,” Chase said, “it was just obvious.”

And the rest? That’s mob TV legend.

The Sopranos is currently streaming on Max.