Woke Up This Morning

Welcome to the Family.

Michael Imperioli, who played the inimitable Christopher, and Steve Schirripa, the lovable Bobby Bacala – who together host the hit podcast “Talking Sopranos” — lay bare the secrets of The Sopranos. In these pages you’ll find where all the bodies are buried: the stories-behind-the-stories, the backstage gossip, and, most importantly, the love and trust and camaraderie and friendship that a group of actors and their crew discovered together.

Woke Up This Morning, for the first time anywhere, brings together dozens of cast members, crew members, writers, directors, and the Big Man himself, Series Creator David Chase, to talk intimately and openly about everything that went into making the thoroughly unique, thoroughly absorbing creation that is The Sopranos.

Here’s Vinnie Pastore talking about how he learned that “Big Pussy” was getting whacked; Lorraine Bracco revealing the phone call that got HBO to pick up the show; Edie Falco’s favorite scene; Jamie-Lynn Siegler’s heartfelt moments with Jim Gandolfini; how Paulie Walnuts became based on the real life of Tony Siirico; and the one time the whole crew nearly beat the crap out of someone for real.

They help answer some important questions:

Which two Sopranos actors nearly got the role of Tony Soprano?

What really happened to the Russian?

What gags did Jim Gandolfini pull on Lorraine Bracco when no one was watching – and how did she get even?

More than two decades after its premiere, The Sopranos remains one of the most popular and talked-about TV programs ever. The show that ushered in the new Golden Age of Television – and set standards for cinematography, writing, acting and sheer out-there creativity that remain unmatched to this day.

Woke Up This Morning is the essential companion to the seminal series, whether you’re a first-time viewer or a long-time fan. Read it and you’ll become a member of the family.

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