Real Life Rockstar Who Inspired a Badass ‘The Sopranos’ Character
- Steven Van Zandt reveals Bruce Springsteen inspired his Silvio Dante character on The Sopranos.
- Steven Van Zandt said yes to playing Silvio Dante because he was broke.
- Steven Van Zandt talks about his 60-years-long friendship with Bruce Springsteen.
Created by David Chase, the crime-drama series The Sopranos is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential series of all time. The show that stars James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Steve Van Zandt, and others has been credited with kick-starting the Second Golden Age of Television. The series has also been regarded as creating a new era in the mafia genre, which was a little different from the same old depiction of a gangster.
The writing, direction, and performances on the show have been praised, with special mention for the willingness of the storyline to deal with difficult and controversial subjects at the time. The show went on to depict crime, family, gender roles, mental health, and American and Italian-American culture in a different light, which was praised by the critics as well as the audience. Van Zandt reveals one singer-songwriter who inspired his character.
Steve Van Zandt credits Bruce Springsteen for inspiring his Silvio Dante on The Sopranos
In an interview with Rolling Stone, actor-musician Steve Van Zandt portrayed Silvio Dante on The Sopranos from 1999 to 2007. Van Zandt was asked, since he did not have any prior acting experience, how he decided to create Silvio Dante for screens and work with professional actors on the show. To which he said,
He [Silvio Dante] grew up with Tony Soprano; he was his best friend; he’s the only guy who doesn’t want to be the boss; he’s the only guy he trusts. I kind of used my relationship with Bruce [Springsteen]. But then I said, ‘I’ve got to create this guy from the outside in.’
Van Zandt continued that he had started with writing a biography of his character in which he kind of romanticized the mob’s history and felt that the good times were over. The musician added that Dante was a traditionalist, and he wanted to have that kind of honor that he felt the old mob guys had.
The actor went on to describe that he had the right clothes and the right hair for his character so that every time he’d look in the mirror, he’d see Silvio Dante. Steve Van Zandt added that to date he just has massive respect for the actors who can look like themselves and act.
At the Tribeca Film Festival, the musician recalled how he landed the part on The Sopranos. He shared that after he spoke at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1997, David Chase offered him a part, and his friend had asked him to decline the offer. Van Zandt said that he took up the job because he was broke.
David Chase shared in Steven Van Zandt: Disciple that the musician didn’t want to take up a job from an actor, so they created a character for him, Silvio Dante. Former CEO of HBO Richard Plepler shared at the time (via People),
Steven Van Zandt was the personification of that surprise because he wasn’t a professional actor, and you could see that he was made to do this. He was built to do this.
The actor-musician was highly appreciated for his work on the show.
Steven Van Zandt talks about his longtime friendship with Bruce Springsteen
During his interview with Rolling Stone, Steven Van Zandt was asked about his friendship with rockstar Bruce Springsteen.
The two of them have been friends since they were teenagers and added that their friendship is deeper than any of the business or creative issues. He said,
He was a very different person for the first 10 years I knew him. He wasn’t the world’s greatest entertainer. He was like one of those grunge guys with long hair that just stares at his shoes. But I got extraordinary strength from finding one other person on the planet that felt the same way I did about rock and roll.
The actor shared that they didn’t fit in, so they kind of had each other in the beginning. The two have been friends for almost 60 years, and in speaking with People, he said that one just doesn’t have friends for 60 years.
He added that the nature of the importance of friendship, in general, is what attracted him to being in a band rather than a solo show business person.
The Sopranos is available to stream on Prime Video.
