HBO Paid James Gandolfini To Not Take A Role In A Hit NBC Comedy Show

James Gandolfini was so close to signing on to star in The Office, after Steve Carell left the show.

The late actor’s Sopranos co-stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa opened up about the opportunity that James had to star in a new role as the Dunder Mifflin boss in the series, and why he passed on it.

Click inside to see what they shared…

During their podcast, Michael and Steve revealed the story to guest Ricky Gervais, who was the star and creator of the wildly popular British version.

“I think before James Spader and after [Steve] Carell, they offered Jim, I want to say $4 million to play him for the season — and HBO paid him $3 million not to do it,” Michael recalled. “That’s a fact.”

Ricky then chimed in, saying, “So they paid him that to keep the legacy of The Sopranos pure? Well, that’s a good decision.”

Steve then added that James had considered taking the offer because “he hadn’t worked and it was a number of years removed from when the show ended.”

But in the end, James also had “a deal with [HBO with] The Night Of, he was developing that.”

The Night Of only premiered in 2016, three years following James’ death in Rome from a heart attack.

James‘ son, Michael, will be playing his father’s famous Sopranos character in a prequel series.