Harvey Weinstein almost got whacked by Tony Soprano.
"Sopranos" star James Gandolfini once threatened to beat up Harvey Weinstein long before the disgraced Hollywood mogul was convicted of rape and sexual assault, according to a report.
Gandolfini, famous for playing mobster Tony Soprano, was fed up with Weinstein, who was pressuring him to promote the 2012 Weinstein Co. film "Killing Them Softly," in which he starred alongside Brad Pitt, when he decided a punch or two might solve things.
The revelation came from "Sopranos" co-stars Steve Schirripa and Michael Imperioli, who made an appearance on the "Joe Rogan Experience" this week. They were reminiscing about their time with Gandolfini, who died in 2013 at age 51, when the conversation turned to Weinstein, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
Gandolfini was reluctant to do interviews on late-night talk shows but Weinstein was determined to get him to appear on the "The Late Show With David Letterman.” Gandolfini was the opposite of his mob-boss character — in real life he was more subdued and introverted and hated doing interviews.
Gandolfini eventually lost his cool over Weinstein’s nagging while sitting with the rest of the "Sopranos" crew in a trailer.
"Harvey Weinstein keeps calling, he wants me to do Letterman and I said no,'" Gandolfini said, per Schirripa. He then recalled how Weinstein "got f***ing nasty" with Gandolfini, who said: "I will beat the f*** out of Harvey Weinstein! He f***ing calls me again, I will beat the f*** out of him! For the money he paid me, I'm not f***ing doing it!'"
Gandolfini was allegedly not too eager to star in "Killing Them Softly" in the first place and had turned the role down multiple times, according to Fox News.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.