Lorraine Bracco of THE SOPRANOS

HBO presents

May 20, 2001

hbo.com presents a chat with Lorraine Bracco of THE SOPRANOS. Find out what it's like to be on HBO's smash hit and what her life's been like since joining the hottest show on television.

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HBO: Hello and welcome to hbo.com's chat with Lorraine Bracco of "The Sopranos." Her character, Dr. Jennifer Melfi, acts as Tony's conscience; probing his conflicts between being a "good" boss to his mob family and being a good husband and father to his nuclear family. Within the framework of a doctor/patient relationship, she navigates a path between maintaining Tony's ability to function day-to-day and his need to follow the mob's code of honor. And now to Lorraine Bracco.

Lorraine Bracco: Hi everybody! I think it was the most incredible 13 hours of television I have ever seen.

JD: Will you ever let Tony hurt himself?

Lorraine Bracco: Absolutely not. Not as long as I'm alive!

Furious Furio: Does the character of Dr. Melfi have any kind of feelings towards Tony as Tony has for her?

Lorraine Bracco: I care for him. I want him to have a good life, and become the full man he wants to become.

Matt: Will we ever see another cast member in your office?

Lorraine Bracco: That's a David Chase question.

Melfi Patient: Where did you study acting?

Lorraine Bracco: I studied acting first in Paris, with John Strasberg, who was Lee Strasberg's son. When I moved back to the States, I studied at the Actors Studio with Stella Adler and a man called Ernie Martin.

Tricia: Why didn't Dr. Melfi tell Tony about her rape?

Lorraine Bracco: It was a moral issue for Dr. Melfi. If she had told him, it would have been crossing the line of what's her right thing to do. I think that she doesn't want to be pulled into his life, and that it would totally destroy their relationship.

Al The Bubble: 1) Were you annoyed with Larry King's interview and 2) Do you think Dr. Melfi could ever let loose and show a wild side?

Lorraine Bracco: 1) Larry King Live was OK. I felt, considering all the controversy surrounding the show, that he could have asked so many more interesting questions, but that didn't happen. 2) Dr. Melfi has a terrific wild side! I don't know when or how you'll see it, but she does have one.

Cholak2857: When you appeared on "Live with Regis and Kelly," you had on an arm sling, yet a couple of days earlier on "Dennis Miller Live" you did not. Was this an effect for the episode where Dr. Melfi gets raped?

Lorraine Bracco: No; unfortunately I ripped open the bursar sac in my shoulder in the stairwell of Episode 4. With all the physical therapy and acupuncture I tried, I have no movement in my arm. So I had surgery, and the doctor asked me to wear the sling. But I filmed "Dennis Miller Live" before the surgery. You must have caught a repeat!

Marty3: Hello Lorraine, describe what makes "The Sopranos" such a wonderful show in your opinion?

Lorraine Bracco: Great writing, great cast, and a lot of fun.

NYC: How did you prepare for your role as Dr. Melfi? Do you enjoy psychology?

Lorraine Bracco: Yes, I love psychology. I always attack all of my roles from a psychological point of view, so this was just up my alley! And the psychiatry part of it is really not about Dr. Melfi, but about Tony Soprano.

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