Lorraine Bracco of THE SOPRANOS

HBO presents

May 20, 2001

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Cholak2857: Is the actress that plays Carmela's mother the same woman that played your mother in "Goodfellas"?

Lorraine Bracco: BINGO! You win! Her name is Susan Shepherd.

Tony Soprano Jr: What do you think about this year's season compared to the two previous ones?

Lorraine Bracco: It's fantastic! Just the most amazing 13 hours of television ever.

Amour Fou: Lorraine, you are by far one of the most talented actresses of our time. I have seen you interviewed several times, and you are so unlike Melfi--quite the opposite, in fact. Are there times when filming that you just want to start cracking up laughing?

Lorraine Bracco: I do, I do! I play jokes on Jimmy all the time. The last episode that we shot, I worked out with the prop master to get a big fart machine, I didn't have the control for the machine--the prop master did. I started it in the morning by telling Jimmy I didn't feel well, so it turned into a lot of fun that day. But I'm always pulling jokes on him. He hasn't retaliated…yet! I'd better worry.

Leola14: What are some weird things fans have done for you?

Lorraine Bracco: I've not really had anything weird. I think I've had some really nice letters, and people asking me for advice. But nothing really weird. Why? Did you plan to start? (laughing)

Leola14: I loved the movie, "Goodfellas." How is "The Sopranos" similar to it?

Lorraine Bracco: Leola, great question! I think both shows show the working class Mafia, and the intricacies of what really goes on. The fact that "Goodfellas" was a true story was always very powerful. It was like the first time you really saw the way it was managed. And of course, Martin Scorsese is the class act bono director of our generation. It was his element--he knew those people living on Elizabeth Street; he'd seen them all. So I think the movie came very easily to him, and with that genre film and Marty's love for music, I thought it really just said a lot about our generation.

Johnny Two Fingers: Who is your favorite character on the show?

Lorraine Bracco: My favorite by far (and who has the greatest lines and is the most gentle man of all) is Uncle Junior. I adore him--his character, and him, Dominic Chianese.

Cholak2857: Were/are you a model?

Lorraine Bracco: Yes, both here in the States (I started off with the Wilhelmina Agency), and when I lived in France. I modeled for about 10 years. Elle, Marie Claire, and Vogue magazines. I've done lots of photo shoots, and what they call the "catwalk," and commercials. I've done a lot.

Amour Fou: I hear you and James Gandolfini have a great rapport off screen. Tell us a little about that .

Lorraine Bracco: You know, he's a very lovely, fun guy. I feel I was very lucky, because he, of course, knew my work before we started the show, and was excited to work with me. That's just a relationship that has been building for the last three years or so. But I do love to play practical jokes on him. We just get along, we have a terrific rapport and it's one of those things there are really no words for.

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