The Real Reason Behind The Most Popular Sopranos Character’s Untimely Series Ending
After more than 25 years since the show’s debut, many consider The Sopranos to be among the best dramatic television series ever, and the show has a devoted cult following of fans who are constantly finding out new details. Federico Castelluccio, who plays Furio Giunta, actually disclosed a never-before-seen behind-the-scenes tale in a recent interview, explaining his character’s sudden exit from the Sopranos world.
It seems that the beloved character was eliminated from the show in order for the production team to accumulate funds for the enormous salary of Frank Vincent, who debuted in the fifth season of the show.
The Enigma Has Been Exposed
During an interview on the podcast Vino With Vito, which is hosted by New Jersey real estate agent Vito Contuzzi, Castelluccio shared this intriguing anecdote. He clarified on the program that Furio was not initially supposed to leave The Sopranos at the conclusion of the fourth season. As a matter of fact, an HBO series producer first revealed to Castelluccio that Johnny “Sack,” the sour head of New York for Vincent Curatola, would be departing the show to make room in the budget for Frank Vincent to join.
Frank’s Price to Be Paid
The Sopranos producers had been attempting to get a contract with Vincent for a while, but they were unable to do so because of his outrageous quotation, as the Furio actor said in his interview.
Vincent was a well-known figure in the mafia movie genre, having played significant lead roles in movies like Goodfellas, Casino, and even many Grand Theft Auto video game entries, in contrast to most of the relative unknowns who completed the cast of the amazing series. In order to make room financially for some new faces, the authors ultimately decided to remove Furio from the show after months of contentious talks and screenplay revisions.
The Unexpected Absence
Furio’s exit was always a mystery, even if viewers were thrilled to see Frank Vincent and a few other well-known actors, such Steve Buscemi and Robert Loggia, join the group in the fifth season of the show. For those who forget, Furio had a season-long arc during his last year on the show. In it, he and Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco) engaged in a tense, silent emotional tryst, with Furio silently pining for her and her worried about what the patriarch of the Soprano family might do if he found out.
Never Disobey the Boss
In the last episode of Furio, James Gandolfini’s character almost tosses Tony Soprano into a helicopter’s blades before deciding to leave town to keep his irrational obsession on Carmela in check. He packs his things, lists his recently acquired house for sale, and takes off for Italy in the middle of the night, never to be seen again. The final mention of Furio in the show comes from an indiscernible comment made by Tony, implying that he has men looking for the Italian national back home.
