Lorraine Bracco, best known for her portrayal of Dr. Jennifer Melfi on The Sopranos, recently opened up about her disappointment with how the iconic series concluded for her character. In a candid interview on SiriusXM’s The Spotlight with Jessica Shaw, the actress revealed she was deeply unsatisfied with how her character’s journey ended.
Dr. Melfi, who served as the therapist to James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano, played a pivotal role in the acclaimed show. Their sessions often teased a complex dynamic, with viewers speculating if their relationship might evolve into something more. However, instead of a romantic turn, Melfi ultimately decided she could no longer treat Tony, fearing that her therapy might enable his criminal activities. Without fully revealing her reasoning, she abruptly ended their sessions, leaving their relationship unresolved.
Bracco, 69, shared her lingering disappointment with this conclusion, admitting she had envisioned a different outcome for her character. “I think they bumped into each other in restaurants and stuff like that,” she said when asked if Melfi and Tony might have ever crossed paths again. “Part of me wants to believe they took some time apart and then got back into therapy.”
The Goodfellas star also recalled the emotional toll of wrapping up her role on the groundbreaking series, expressing that she was “heartbroken” after filming her final scene. But her dissatisfaction didn’t end there. Bracco also found herself frustrated with the overall series finale, created by David Chase.
“I was not very happy with the way David ended it,” Bracco admitted. “I thought it was bad and wrong. I was annoyed. I told him, ‘How do you invest five years into someone’s life and just walk away? That is not cool.'”
Bracco’s sentiments echo those of many fans and even fellow cast members, who were left stunned by the show’s infamous final scene. In HBO’s recent documentary, Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos, Bracco revealed that Gandolfini himself was equally taken aback by the ambiguous ending. The last moments show Tony, Carmela (Edie Falco), Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), and A.J. (Robert Iler) meeting at a diner, as a hitman looms nearby. Just as Meadow rushes into the restaurant, the screen cuts to black, leaving viewers in suspense.
“I was with Jim,” Bracco recalled of Gandolfini’s reaction. “Jim said, ‘That’s it? That’s it?’ He couldn’t believe it. … I think he was in shock like everybody else.”
Though The Sopranos remains a beloved and critically acclaimed series, its unresolved ending continues to stir debate — even among its stars.
Related topics: