Michael Imperioli, known for his roles in projects such as “The Sopranos” and “Goodfellas,” recently opened up about the difficulties he faces when filming scenes involving violence towards women. In an interview with The Guardian, Imperioli specifically mentioned his character Christopher Moltisanti’s violent behavior towards his fiancée Adriana La Cerva in “The Sopranos” as particularly challenging.
For Imperioli, these types of scenes present a unique set of challenges. On a technical level, he has to be extremely careful to ensure that he doesn’t hurt his co-star. However, the emotional hurdle is even more daunting. In order to portray violence towards women realistically, Imperioli must tap into some dark and uncomfortable places within himself. He explained, “You have to go to some nasty places to get there.”
Imperioli shared that sometimes it’s easy to access the necessary headspace for these scenes, especially when the emotions and circumstances align with his own experiences or emotions. Other times, he has to dig deep into his past or even imagine scenarios to tap into the required emotions. However, regardless of how he gets there, he acknowledged that it is mentally and emotionally demanding.
While stunt doubles are occasionally used for these violent scenes, Imperioli emphasized the difficulty of transitioning from rehearsing to actually filming the takes. The rehearsal process allows for careful choreography and controlled movements, but once the full emotion is brought into the scene, it becomes easy to lose some of that control. Therefore, actors need to exercise caution to ensure safety. Imperioli reflected, “So you really have to be quite careful.”
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Interestingly, Imperioli finds it easier to portray mobsters or scenes involving drug use than scenes involving violence towards women. The portrayal of such characters and activities does not pose as much of a challenge for him. This insight highlights the unique sensitivity and emotional response involved in performing scenes depicting violence towards women.
Throughout his career, Imperioli has been no stranger to violent scenes. In Martin Scorsese’s iconic film “Goodfellas,” Imperioli played the character Spider, who meets a tragic end at the hands of Joe Pesci’s character Tommy DeVito. These experiences have undoubtedly added to his understanding of the complexities and demands of violent scenes.
In conclusion, Michael Imperioli’s recent interview shed light on the difficulties he faces when filming scenes involving violence towards women. While the technical aspects, such as ensuring the safety of the actors involved, present challenges, the emotional toll is even more significant. Imperioli acknowledges the need to tap into dark and uncomfortable places to authentically portray violence towards women. Despite the challenges, Imperioli’s talent allows him to convincingly bring these difficult scenes to life on screen.
