62 Quotes by Michael Imperioli

Detroit 1-8-7? – the numbers are police slang for murder – is filmed in that blue-collar Michigan city, providing a flavor of authenticity. Detroit offers a unique visual landscape that tells the story of the city and what it’s been through.

John Ventimiglia, who was on ‘The Sopranos,’ was in my first acting class and we have been friends since that time. Alec Baldwin was in my class back then, Sean Young and Andrew McCarthy.

Back 20 years ago, there was a division between movie actors and TV actors. That’s kind of gone away. People who have had a lot of success in movies in the past now want to be on TV. There used to be much more of a quality division between TV and movies, and that’s kind of not the case anymore.

To be at acting school, it was kind of the first time you felt the freedom to be as much of yourself as you wanted. People weren’t going to judge you.

I’ve played some gangster roles, but that’s obviously not me. When you’re an Italian-American New York actor, it’s just an easy way to get cast.

Detroit is a city that really stands out. It’s been through a very difficult time. There’s been a lot of pain here, and the city, physically, has suffered. You can see it in certain neighborhoods, and there’s buildings downtown that have been abandoned.

In Britain you’re more used to challenging drama. In America, TV is just boring, and numbing, and bloody terrible.

I’ve been working professionally as an actor since I was 20. That’s going to be 25 years soon. So, that’s a veteran. That’s a big-time veteran. I’ve had some great successes, and I’ve had some not-successes.

Not to toot our own horn, but when ‘The Sopranos’ was on, it was as good as any movie that was coming out in the theater. I think that goes for a lot of shows today.