Sopranos actor discusses new flick

Sopranos death brings new life to Caldovino
By Mark Lungariello

Ironically, Chris Caldovino’s career has been galvanized by playing a role where he slept with the fishes. The Brooklyn-born actor, whose character Billy Leotardo got whacked on HBO’s The Sopranos last season, is poised for his big break with his latest film Brooklyn Rules, a semi-autobiographical story about the actor and his childhood friend Terrance Winter’s experiences growing up in the Brooklyn ghetto.

The film, which is written by Winter (he also wrote for The Sopranos), opens on May 18 and features a star-studded cast including Alec Baldwin, Freddie Prinze, Mena Suvari and Jerry Ferrara. Scott Caan plays Carmine, a character inspired by Caldovino.

“It’s about what we went through growing up. It’s loosely based on us,” Caldovino says with a laugh. “I mean it’s fictionalized. My character was a little worse than I was, so we had to change my name so people wouldn’t think I did those kinds of things.”

Caldovino has a part in the film, portraying a character who mentors the young and brash Carmine. “I’m actually playing a character who takes myself under my wing, so that’s kind cool,” he said.

We caught up with Caldovino on the evening of the Brooklyn Rules premiere, discussing the film, upcoming projects, and looking back at his stint on The Sopranos. While his character came to an early demise, he’s proud of his time on the show, even if he has been relegated to spectator the last two seasons.

“There wasn’t a bad thing about that experience. How could there be?” Caldovino asked rhetorically. He continued to say of his character, whose character’s death helped ignite a war between the Leotardo and Soprano families, “I wished I could have lived another season, but what could you do? I could’ve been the underboss or something. Even though my character’s been gone, I’m still around. My death or my murder – it looks like it has a lot to with the death of the show. It might cause the end of the show, who knows? It might be that the character becomes more famous than me.”

The movie’s fictionalized, but how close is the film to what you really went through growing up?
It was tough. You had to be quick with your hands sometimes. You learn things through growing up you can’t learn it anywhere else in the world. We had fun. We never got into trouble. Or at least any real trouble that we were caught for. [Laughs] Growing up in that situation you become very close. Close friendship is almost a fact of survival growing up in the city.

Since a lot of the film was based on things you experienced, how strange was it to recreate the way things were in the old neighborhood?
I’ll tell you it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. We shot in Brooklyn. It feels like yesterday we were hanging out there. To see these actors playing us, I enjoyed it thoroughly. (Scott Caan) did a great job. He makes me look good. People who knew me, saw Scott and said “he’s got a lot of you in him.” When I saw the movie, I saw Sonny Corleone. Maybe it was a little bit of both.

So you and Terrance obviously go way back. Was that how you ended up on The Sopranos?
When I first went in, David Chase (the show’s creator) wasn’t supposed to know Terry and I were friends. The fact that we were friends actually could have hindered me getting me that role. It was great, it was just a fantastic experience. Just to work with those guys. Frank Vincent…I learned a lot (from him). It was a real family – no pun intended – a real family atmosphere. The cast and the crew was really close. When I got killed and it was my last day on the show, it was like leaving home.

Some critics have criticized The Sopranos and other mob shows or films as negatively depicting Italian-Americans. As an Italian-American actor, do you think it’s difficult to find roles that aren’t gangsters?
You got to take the work. You do the work, you do the best you can. It’s fun to play these rolls, but it’s not all I want to do. Also you get kind of the NY cop kind of thing or Chicago cop. It can get to you sometimes, but you just do the best you can.
(But things like The Sopranos) are just not a stereotypical goombah thing. The characters are well written. I want to expand and do other things, but it can be tough. Especially in LA. If you have an Italian last name, you’re called into do all these gangster roles.

The Sopranos was well-written, but is there anything on your resume that you feel played into that goombah stereotype?
I read this big script recently, I’m not gonna say who from. I said “you know what? I’m not gonna do it.” It’s not even written like a mob guy would talk. I didn’t find anything redeeming about the character or role. In the past, I absolutely did roles like that, but when you’re young you take what you can.

Is directing the ultimate goal?
I love to direct. I just co-wrote this movie called Total’d. It’s a New York kind of story. It’s The Fast and the Furious meets Goodfellas. Me and my writing partner are kind of arguing over directing (laughs). I like detail, I have vision. But my true passion is acting, even if I started directing, I would still act. I need that visceral kind of expression that you get from acting. If you have to yell or put your hand through a wall you could do it through acting.

Lastly, what’s on the horizon as far as other projects you’re working on?
I have this other film I’m attached to star in called Kid Genero. It’s another New York kind of story but it’s a good script. It’s about a mentally challenged guy who wants to become a boxer. It’s kind of like Rocky meets Of Mice and Men or something like that. [Laughs] Other than that, I’m going back to LA and go back to my audition and whatever comes up, comes up. But, right now I’m totally focused on Brooklyn Rules.