The Sopranos came to an end nearly fifteen years ago, but its ambiguous finale has continued to stir discussion regarding whether or not Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) was murdered, but one thing is for certain, if Tony was whacked, Alec Baldwin certainly wasn't the one who pulled the trigger… no matter how much he wanted to be.
While speaking on Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa's Talking Sopranos podcast, Alec Baldwin said that well before the series had even concluded, he volunteered his services for that fateful day when Tony Soprano would inevitably meet his maker.
I called up whoever it was, I forget, and I said, ‘Tell them, when it’s time to kill Jimmy’ — this was early before you get to the end — ‘there’s only one man in this business who should come in, whack Jimmy, and ride off with Edie [Falco, who portrayed Tony’s wife, Carmela], and I am that man.' I am the guy who needs to blow Jimmy away and take Edie, who I’m madly in love with, away.
Baldwin continued: "And 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.'" As we know, the actor never appeared on The Sopranos, and Baldwin believes it may have had something to do with his embarrassing and sweaty first meeting with David Chase in a Four Seasons restaurant bathroom. "I go into the bathroom of this super chic restaurant, take my jacket off, take my shirt off. I'm mopping the sweat up off my body, and I'm holding my shirt up to the mechanical dryer," Baldwin said. "And the door opens — and it's David Chase. This is my introduction to David Chase. And 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. Ever." Although The Sopranos may be over, we will be returning to that universe with The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel movie that will be set in the era of the Newark riots in the 60s and also feature Michael Gandolfini, the son of the late James Gandolfini, as a younger version of Tony Soprano. The film is slated to hit theaters and HBO Max on September 24, 2021.