Acclaimed documentarian Alex Gibney, the director of HBO’s forthcoming documentary Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos, recalled to The New York Post the “very uncomfortable” moment Chase “almost walked” away from the project.
Gibney, a self-professed Sopranos fan whose extensive credits include the Scientology exposé Going Clear, was inspired to profile Sopranos creator Chase and his watershed mafia series after meeting the creator and finding him “a fascinating and amazing character.”
“It occurred to me that there was an interesting movie to be made about…how [The Sopranos] got made, and…how personal it was to him,” Gibney said. “This came about because of David’s relationship with his mother,” he added. “His mommy issues were the driving force behind The Sopranos. That was interesting to me.”
“He’s been in therapy for a long time, so to some extent, he was willing to go there,” Gibney said of Chase’s agreement to participate in the docuseries, which premieres Sept. 7 on HBO.
But despite that intriguing thesis, Chase “almost walked” out on Gibney during the first day of production, which was being held on a set which painstakingly recreated the office of Tony Soprano’s (James Gandolfini) therapist, Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). As soon as Gibney began posing personal questions, Chase retreated.
“‘What am I doing, talking about myself?’” Gibney recalled Chase saying. “‘Who the hell is gonna care about this?’ And, he almost walked.”
Gibney continued: “But he didn’t. He stayed. I think that he is a very thoughtful guy, and he’s been through a fair amount of self-reflection.” The director added that, while they eventually smoothed things over, the on-set incident was “very uncomfortable.”
However, Gibney admitted that he still would have made the documentary even if Chase declined to participate. “There’s always a way [to continue the project]. But, that would have been awkward if the main character decided not to appear,” he conceded.
Wise Guy features archival interviews with Gandolfini before his death at age 51 in 2013, as well as co-stars Michael Imperioli, Drea De Matteo, Edie Falco, and Bracco. Also featured in the two-episode documentary are network executive Chris Albrecht’s recollections of staging an intervention for Gandolfini, who struggled with substance abuse throughout the show’s run.
“[Gandolfini] is so important to this show, and he’s such an extraordinary actor,” Gibney told NYP. “And for this role, he gave it such dimension. But also, he had some rather famous difficulties himself. His own personal difficulties.”
Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos premieres on Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. on HBO. You can check out the trailer below.
