When Steve Buscemi starred in his first episode of The Sopranos in season 5 (2004), he’d done it all as a screen actor. Between major roles in Coen rbothers movies (e.g., The Big Lebowski), his work in Hollywood blockbusters (e.g., Armageddon), and his brilliant turn in Reservoir Dogs (1992), Buscemi was an American cinema institution (still is).

Buscemi had also made a name for himself behind the camera. Trees Lounge, his 1996 debut feature, had caught the eye of Sopranos creator David Chase. In fact, Chase admired the Trees Lounge cast so much he hired the same casting directors to work on The Sopranos.