There's no way any cast member of The Sopranos could be more iconic than the late, great James Gandolfini as the titular Tony Soprano, though there was a point in time where Chris Rock could have come in as a close second in a different role.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter for the publication's annual Emmy Roundtable series, Rock explained how doors had opened for a possible role in The Sopranos during his HBO heyday — but he had to turn down multiple offers from showrunners for fear that he might ruin the show.
"Sometimes you can respect something so much, you don't even want to be a part of it," Rock explained. "Years ago, when I had my own show on HBO, it was at the height of The Sopranos, and I got a couple of offers to be on The Sopranos, and I was like, 'I like it too much, I don't want to spoil it.'"
While he never got to play a role in the Italian-American mob show, Rock does view his own character in Season 4 of Fargo, Loy Cannon, in a similar light.
"He's a businessman, he's a deacon at his church, he's a loving father and husband, he owns a bank, and he's also a criminal," Rock said. "He fixes fights and runs numbers and prostitution. He's always on edge. It's Tony Soprano-esque."
Meanwhile, The Sopranos is about to be rebooted as a prequel film titled The Many Saints of Newark, with Gandolfini's real-life son Michael Gandolfini stepping in to play a younger version of Tony. So far, Rock hasn't been ruled out for a possible cameo, so we're keeping our hopes up for now.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter for the publication's annual Emmy Roundtable series, Rock explained how doors had opened for a possible role in The Sopranos during his HBO heyday — but he had to turn down multiple offers from showrunners for fear that he might ruin the show.
"Sometimes you can respect something so much, you don't even want to be a part of it," Rock explained. "Years ago, when I had my own show on HBO, it was at the height of The Sopranos, and I got a couple of offers to be on The Sopranos, and I was like, 'I like it too much, I don't want to spoil it.'"
While he never got to play a role in the Italian-American mob show, Rock does view his own character in Season 4 of Fargo, Loy Cannon, in a similar light.
"He's a businessman, he's a deacon at his church, he's a loving father and husband, he owns a bank, and he's also a criminal," Rock said. "He fixes fights and runs numbers and prostitution. He's always on edge. It's Tony Soprano-esque."
Meanwhile, The Sopranos is about to be rebooted as a prequel film titled The Many Saints of Newark, with Gandolfini's real-life son Michael Gandolfini stepping in to play a younger version of Tony. So far, Rock hasn't been ruled out for a possible cameo, so we're keeping our hopes up for now.