The Sopranos' Dominic Chianese, 94, to reflect on 'checkered' career in one night only event

Daily Mail​

7 hours ago

Fans of HBO 's The Sopranos will be able to attend a one night only event where one of the show's stars will be opening up about his career.
The event will feature actor Dominic Chianese, the 94-year-old actor who played Corrado "Junior" Soprano in the hit HBO series.
Dominic Chianese: One Night Only will be held at The Town Hall in New York City on June 30, with tickets available now via Ticketmaster.
The actor plans on telling stories about his famous friends - everyone from Al Pacino to James Gandolfini - while also showing off his singing skills.
'The stories, they come out, and the songs, they sort of portray the stories, too,' the actor revealed in an interview with People.
'I'm talking about all the beautiful mentors I've had all these years, wonderful mentors, colleagues in the business, especially Pacino and people like that, and the film directors,' he added.
The actor continued, 'I played a lot of authority figures, lawyers, judges, criminals. I played priests. It's a wonderful career. It's a very long career, a checkered career.'
His career also included roles in The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, Cradle Will Rock, Boardwalk Empire and more, including The Sopranos, as one of the few characters to survive throughout the show's run.
He is also a singer, releasing two albums, including the Italian-language album Ungrateful Heart.
'I like to sing live, but Stevie Van Zandt taught me that you can really sing with your heart and let it out in the studio,' Chianese said.
'He taught me that, so when we did Core 'ngrato, and [Sopranos creator David Chase] said, 'We're going to use that,' that made me realize in that recording, you can let it all out in a recording studio,' Chianese added of the song he sang in The Sopranos Season 3 finale.
'I thought you had to be pure like Bing Crosby in the old days, but you can let it out,' he added of his singing.
He added that his grandfather from Naples, Italy first taught him how to sing, and he 'absorbed' the music he heard.
'He really sang from the heart, and for years as a child, I would listen to him,' the actor said of his grandfather.
'His music came from the heart, and singing wasn't about talent or even the voice. It was the way I did it,' he continued.
The actor began his career as a teacher, a path his father had encouraged, but he gave it up after a few years.
'It didn't work out because they wouldn't let me teach my way. They gave me a curriculum that was so foreign to my students,' he added.
'I loved teaching. I would've stayed. I was 35 at the time, but I couldn't. They wouldn't have me do it my way, and so I had to leave,' he said.
'I believe in teaching. I love children, but you can only teach what you believe. I always think about those kids. They're 65 years old now. Maybe one of them will come to the show, and they'll remember me. I would love to see them,' Chianese said.