Steven Van Zandtin the documentary Disciple produced by HBO and presented at the Tribeca Film Festival, explained why he accepted the role in the series The Sopranos.
David Chase, creator of the series, stated in an interview that it had caught his attention:
He was really funny, he glued you to the TV and he was really charismatic. I said, ‘He has to be on the show.’
Steven received the offer from Chase after a 1997 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony he attended. Van Zandt then went to dinner with a friend, which allowed him to talk about the occasion. Lane Freed pointed out:
I said, ‘Steven you can’t do that. You can’t be on television. You’re Stevie Van Zandt. You’re a fucking rock ‘n’ roll idol. You can not do this. You’ll ruin everything.’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m also out of money.’
The music star had doubts after filming the pilot, but his friend Peter Wolf convinced him it was a good idea. Van Zandt told him, ‘I made this pilot for this TV show about a mobster family in Jersey and I don’t know if it’s the right thing,’ adding that rock people shouldn’t be on TV.
Wolf then replied:
I said, ‘Steven, the TV has no memory. If it’s great, great. If it’s terrible, they’ll forget about it.’
In the documentary, Chase also added that Van Zandt didn’t want to take work away from an actor, leading the actors to create a character for him, inspired by a character he had created, called Silvio Dante. Van Zandt recalled:
I wrote a whole biography about him: He grew up with Tony Soprano, who was his best friend. And I had exploited my relationship with Bruce Springsteen.
What do you think of Steven Van Zandt’s reasons for accepting a role on The Sopranos?
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Source: People
