There's no doubt that Adriana's death on The Sopranos was one of the most memorable. It was also one of the hardest moments to write for scribe Terry Winter, according to an interview he did with Deadline. Given how challenging and emotional as it was for Terry, imagine how the actor portraying Adriana felt. Drea de Matteo spent years on the hit HBO show. It was an incredible and steady paycheck that helped build her notable net worth. Most importantly, it gave her the opportunity to show off just how talented she truly is. The writing, after all, was top-notch.
But, as is the case with many high stakes series like The Sopranos, Drea de Matteo's time was numbered. While James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano did some terrible things in the show, his involvement in the death of the love of Christopher's life is one of the worst. But it made for truly spectacular television. This is something Drea seems to believe despite her conflicted feelings about Adriana's death and the show's finale...
Why Did Drea De Matteo Leave The Sopranos?
Drea didn't necessarily want to leave The Sopranos. Although she did have the desire to direct a movie of her own. But she had committed years to the show. And she loved it. So her feelings were mixed when she heard that her character was going to be offed. It was ultimately creator David Chase's decision to kill Adriana by the end of Season Five. It was an inevitable conclusion for her since she was trapped working with the FBI in a world that punishes such behavior with a swift and severe hand.
"David [Chase] pulled me over on a curb…I mean, the story is he usually brings everyone into their office for a sit-down and then he takes them to dinner. This did not happen for me," Drea claimed during an interview with Deadline. He told me while I was shooting the scene where I was in the neck brace. I sat on a curb with him. He said, 'We’re going to shoot this two ways, and we don’t know if…' See, I had gone to him and asked…because I knew the road was leading towards that, once they had me dealing with the FBI…am I going to be here next season? Because I wanted to direct a film. That was the biggest thing on my agenda at that time. I really wanted to make a movie; I had gone to film school. I wasn’t really an actor. So I don’t know if he was pissed that I asked because, you know, David is a funny guy when it came to whether or not he thought you were taking advantage of your position there or if whether or not you wanted to be there. There was always, like, a thing around that. Everybody was disposable."
- Drea de Matteo appeared as Adriana in the first season but became a regular in the second and continued on as the character throughout the majority of the fifth.
When asked by Vulture if she was upset that Adriana was going to be killed off in the 2003 episode, Drea said, "It was upsetting to the fans, and it was just as upsetting to me. It really, truly is sad when it’s over, man. To not have that regularness, that familiarity. I love working in television because of that. It’s like going to see your family every day. Not being part of The Sopranos artistically anymore was s*****, but I knew we were about to end. Whenever these shows end, it’s tough. Everybody’s gonna feel it."
While her departure from The Sopranos was difficult because she enjoyed working on the show so much, Drea didn't let that get in the way of her watching the rest of the series. Drea became deeply invested in the other characters, the story, and the people who worked on the show. So, she had to tune in for the final episodes, including the hotly debated finale.
What Did Drea De Matteo Think Of The Sopranos Finale?
During a 2020 interview with TV Insider, Drea de Matteo recalled the night of The Sopranos finale.
"I remember that night vividly," she said. "I had a ‘Sopranos’ party at the house and we’re watching what happens in the end. And I was like, 'Wait a second. What just f***ing happened?' I thought my TV glitched out because we were watching it on a big, giant, old television."
A friend who was still working on the show had to confirm that The Sopranos really did end with a smash-cut to black without giving much in the way of a resolution. Or, at least, this is what many of the finale's critics believe. Others say that it was the perfect way to end the series as the viewer, just like Tony, was whacked unceremoniously.
"You could paint so many different pictures with that blank canvas," Drea said of the cut to black. "But then I think that David Chase has said in other interviews, and I could be wrong, that Tony does in fact die. There’s so much ambiguity around the show, never perfect answers."
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