How Tony Siroco's Criminal Past Prepared Him To Play Paulie Walnuts On "The Sopranos"
uproxx.com
When "The Sopranos" had hit it's stride, it had made household names out of a handful of actors that had made their livelihood playing bit parts in mostly mafia-themed movies.
One notable example was Genaro Anthony Siroco, who played Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri, a hilarious, quirky tough-as-nails enforcer for the Soprano crime family with an unforgettable hairdo.
Siroco had originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior, along with Frank Vincent, who'd later be cast as big bad Phil Leotardo, and Dominick Chianese, who landed the role.
After getting a call from showrunner David Chase to tell him he'd lost out on the part he'd auditioned for, he was instead offered the part of Paulie.
Siroco agreed, only on the condition that his character "wouldn't turn out to be a rat."
While a seemingly unusual request for a struggling actor, it turns out that Siroco's resume included a bit more than playing tough guys on screen.
Namely, he made a living as one.
Growing up in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bensonhurst, Siroco was first arrested at age 7 for stealing nickels from a newspaper stand and ultimately rang up 28 arrests in total.
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