Watch: Sopranos Casting Secrets: Who Almost Played Tony?

The Sopranos nearly looked completely different: the role of Tony came down to a handful of actors, and the cast around him is full of near-misses and discoveries. Watch the video above, then read the stories behind the casting.

David Chase saw James Gandolfini in True Romance and knew the menace was right, but the show could have gone another way: Steven Van Zandt, who had never acted, was invited to audition for Tony before Chase wrote Silvio specifically for him. Lorraine Bracco was courted for Carmela before choosing Melfi, deciding she'd rather play the listener than the wife. Around them, the show filled its ranks with real New York and Jersey faces, many from mob movies, some from the actual neighborhoods, which is why the world feels documentary-real next to the polished mob product that came before it.

Quick answer: Gandolfini won Tony over a small field, Van Zandt was nearly Tony before Silvio was created for him, and Bracco chose Melfi over Carmela.

Keep reading: Watch: The Ducks Are Literally the Whole Show, The Sopranos Ducks Explained · Watch: The DeCavalcante Family: The Real Jersey Mob Behind Tony Soprano

From the shop: the GABAGOOL Shirt at MobstersDaily.