Adriana's death on The Sopranos was easily one of the most memorable and utterly tragic moments in the acclaimed HBO series. It was met with heartbroken gasps from the audience and a complicated response from actor Drea de Matteo. While she wanted to stay with the show she'd been on for many years, Drea also wanted to direct projects of her own. So, there was both a feeling of sadness as well as the feeling of a new door opening.
For this reason, her now-iconic death at the hands of Tony Soprano through Silvio wasn't the most gut-wrenching scene she filmed. It was a moment leading up to this tragic end that was the most brutal. And this scene involved Drea actually choking herself.
Drea De Matteo's Hardest Scene On The Sopranos
During an interview with Vulture, Joey and Sons of Anarchy star Drea de Matteo claimed that she was extremely burnt by the end of her time as Adriana La Cerva on The Sopranos. This is because she approached the performance as a method actor. This meant she was living and breathing so much of Adriana's pain throughout the five years she was on the show. And, in particular, that final year where Adriana was living with the guilt of ratting out the love of her life, Michael Imperioli's Christopher, weighed on her.
"I was very burned out because back in those days I was very Method. I took things maybe too seriously," the notably wealthy Drea de Matteo said to Vulture. "And shooting that season, I really lived with Adriana because I gave it my all and was in turmoil. But I have to say, the actual death scene was nothing for me at that point. The scene I really struggled with was the one where I confessed to Christopher."
Why Drea De Matteo Choked Herself On The Sopranos
In her interview, Drea recalled the scene where Adriana reveals to Christopher that she's been working as a rat for the FBI. This causes Christopher to fly into a fit of rage and physically assault her. Because of how close she and Michael were, the scene was particularly grueling for them both.
"[Michael] had a hard time with a lot of the violence that season," Drea said. "One time he had to grab me by my hair and drag me across the room using a harness. But the harness broke. I was sitting on the floor and crying, because I’m in the moment, and finally told him, 'I’m not going to sit here and wait. You’re dragging me by my hair and you’re going to be okay with it.' He said, 'I can’t do that.' And I said, 'Yes, you can.' And we did it. So for the confession scene, I told him,'I don’t want to do more than one take so you need to not be careful. I’ll kick you in the nuts as a signal if you need to get off me.' And he was like, 'I can’t.' And I said, 'Then don’t, fine.'"
While the punch that Christopher throws at Adriana was faked, the moment where he chokes her was very real.
"You can’t fake choking because they have a camera right on your face," Drea admitted. "So when he started choking me, I pushed my neck up into his hands as hard as I could to choke myself, so that my eyes would pop and my face would swell. It’s pretty good! The 50-year-old version of myself might not do that. But I loved that scene. It was like a cleansing because she finally just gets to say what she needed to say for so long."
Drea De Matteo And Michael Imperioli's Relationship
As previously mentioned, Drea and Michael were exceptionally close while making The Sopranos. This was what made it so hard for them to film their most intense scenes but also what made it easier for Drea to find her voice as an actor.
"Michael and I definitely hung out a lot. I always say that everything I learned about acting was from working so closely with him," Drea admitted.
"When I came on, he was the easiest, most generous actor and so patient with me about hitting marks and all kinds of things not part of my repertoire. So I felt safe with him and was able to explore and become an actor. I mean, I remember in season one, [Sopranos creator] David Chase came over to me at craft services and goes, 'You know, people in the editing room think you and Michael are really a couple.' But we barely knew each other at that point! I said that maybe it’s because we both have enormous eyebrows."
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