“The Sopranos” Paulie Walnuts has a surprising origin story

Tony Soprano, the New Jersey mafia boss, struggles with personal and professional issues in his personal and business life that impact his mental state and prompt him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.

Who is Paulie Walnuts on The Sopranos?

Peter Paul “Pauly Walnuts” Gualtieri was one of Tony Sopranos (James Gandolfini) Right-hander in the groundbreaking HBO series The sopranos. Paulie is chronically paranoid, violent and impulsive. His ambition sometimes goes far beyond his thinking. At the start of the series, Paulie Walnuts is just a soldier in Tony’s army. Still, the more it progresses, He eventually rises to the rank of capo in the Dimeo Crime Family. His morally questionable character and penchant for violence permeate nearly every episode of the series, but are perhaps best exemplified in a scene in which the character kills his mother’s older boyfriend, Minn (Fran Anthony).

Believing that Minn has kept some cash in her apartment, Paulie robs her, breaks the lock on the front door and enters her apartment late at night. After searching the crime scene for signs of Minn and the coast seems to be clear, he sneaks into her bedroom and searches the apartment looking for the money. While searching under Minn’s bed, he spies her feet and pops up to greet her. He lies by saying he found her door open and was about to drop off something from his mother. but Minn is no fool. Paulie’s voice becomes menacing and he asks what she is doing. She tells Paulie that she’s going to call his mom, which is hilarious considering that He is a murderous gangster who is afraid of his mother. Paulie immediately closes the gap between them and continues to try to lie his way out of the situation. He tells her to put some coffee on, but she refuses and tells Paulie that she knew he wanted to rob her. They struggle and she flees, but Paulie gives chase and strangles the poor old woman he has known since childhood. She screams in his face that he’s “always been a bastard” before Paulie finally smothers her with a pillow.

This scene encapsulates what Paulie Walnuts is all about; Behind the pompadour hair and manicured hands, Paulie Walnuts is a violent thug with little to no moral conscience. The paranoia he feels as he confronts the fact that his mother will find out what he is up to drives him to murder a defenseless elderly family friend. The ease with which he does this highlights Paulie’s complicated nature. He oscillates between doting son and monster with such rapidity that it’s almost comical to watch. But despite being so evil, Paulie remains a fan favorite precisely because Tony Sirico is so believable in the role. Toni’s criminal past oozes from every pore and comes through in the “Hey, everything’s fine” tone he adopts until it’s no longer true and it’s too late. Although the actor never murdered an elderly lady in real life, that past helped prepare the actor for the role of Paule Walnuts.

Tony Sirico’s criminal past helped him prepare for the role of Paulie Walnuts

Tony Sirico was born on July 29th in Brooklyn, New York City. into a family of Italian descent and died in July. 8, 2022, at the age of 79. He was in love with the gangster life from a young age, similar to Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) narrates in the opening scenes of Goodfellas, a film in which Sirico also portrays a gangster named Tony Stacks. Sirico told Uproxx, “I watched them the whole time, how they walked, what cars they drove, how they approached each other. They had a charisma that was very fascinating, especially for a child.” According to the Washington Post, As a teenager, the actor had his first run-in with the law when he was shot during an argument over a girl and subsequently joined the US Army L.A. Times reported on his extensive criminal history with a total of 28 arrests for misdemeanor, assault and robbery before turning to acting. He was first tried and convicted as an adult in 1967 while serving a prison sentence. Three years later, on February 27, 1970, he was arrested in a restaurant and caught with an illegal firearm. In 1971 he was charged and convicted of extortion, coercion and aggravated weapons possession. As Sing Sing, he was sentenced to four years in prison, but only served 20 months. While in prison, he was visited by an acting troupe of former prisoners, which inspired him to try acting.

In conversation with the L.A. Times Sirico explained: “I watched her, and I thought, “I can do this.” I knew I didn’t look bad. And I knew I had the (courage) to stand up and piss people off. You get a lot of practice in prison. I always stood in front of these cold-blooded murderers and kidnappers – and made them laugh.” His criminal past would influence everything about the character of Paulie Walnuts, from the way he commits crimes to the types of crimes his character would commit. Everything about Tony Sirico came from the streets and an identity that was so important to him. He originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior, but was offered the role of Paulie instead. Tony Sirico took on the role of creator of this series David Chase offered him on the condition that the character “wouldn’t become a rat“Even the characters’ body language was influenced by the actors’ real-life experiences. With her hands folded carefully in front of her body, Paulie’s iconic pose is a tribute to the life of the street person. In prison, it turns out, it’s always a good idea to keep your hands up in case an argument breaks out, as he told his colleague Michael Imperioli on the Talking Sopranos Podcast. Author and director James Toback worked with Sirico on his film The Pick-Up Artist and addressed the realism the actor brought to the roles. In the LA Times, Toback explains: “He has this great combination of real life authenticity and acting chops. And a very mischievous smile. Everything I write seems real when he speaks the lines.”

Tony Sirico is so convincing in the role of Paulie Walnuts that it’s hard to imagine him as anything other than a career gangster who breaks his legs and collects envelopes full of cash. The achievement is remarkable as Sirico is the perfect man for the job. His genuine swagger and street-guy chic are visible in every frame the character takes. The realism and authenticity of Tony Sirico’s performance is palpable and a product of an education that few can translate into a legitimate acting career, and truly something to behold.

The sopranos is streaming in the US on Max