A Legendary Rock Musician Almost Starred In HBO’s The Sopranos Before James Gandolfini

If you’re a big Sopranos fan, you may already know that Steven Van Zandt never intended to be an actor. He was a rock ‘n’ roll musician through and through, a vital member of the famous E Street Band, touring the country and the world with Bruce Springsteen for years. But the creator of “The Sopranos,” David Chase, saw something in him and chased Van Zandt to convince him to take a shot at acting. In an interview with Fox News, the actor-musician recalled that Chase initially cast him as Tony Soprano before HBO intervened. Van Zandt explained, “As it turns out,…