Gay guy from sopranos
An Oral History of ‘Johnny Cakes,’ Vito’s Love Story on ‘The Sopranos’
When The Sopranos returned for Season Six endorse in March 2006, the show was in a lovely unique place. The series had already revolutionized television in countless ways, and after a nearly two-year absence from the airwaves, it was finally returning to HBO to wrap up its final season. But while many series seek to tie up loose ends toward their decision, The Sopranos continued to break modern ground, and never so ambitiously as with the ultimate storyline for the character of Vito Spatafore.
The groundwork for Vito’s swan lyric was laid in the previous season, when Finn, Meadow Soprano’s boyfriend at the time, spotted Vito giving another man a explode job. After that, it was barely addressed until the next season, when Vito was spotted at a homosexual bar by some guys connected to the Jersey mob. Eventually, word got back to Tony about Vito’s covert life, and before he could be killed for it, Vito fled Novel Jersey for Modern Hampshire. While there, Vito got a brief glimpse of “what might contain been,” as he settled down, stayed out of trouble and even fell in love with a man he nicknamed “Johnny Cakes.”
Eventually, Vito r
The Sopranos was a show with some wild twists, but arguably its most shocking revelation was that Vito Spatafore, the portly capo of the Aprile crew and one of Tony’s optimal earners, was actually a closeted lgbtq+. Initially spotted by Meadow’s boyfriend Finn DeTrolio going down on a security guard, Vito’s proclivities remained a private to the repose of the crew from season five until a not many episodes into season six. Vito gets spotted at a leather bar, mid lasso dance, and is forced to flee his closeted life, building up to a sort of “lost weekend” in New Hampshire in possibly my favorite episode, “Johnny Cakes.”
We’ve been discussing all of these episodes in-depth on our Sopranos podcast, Pod Yourself A Gun. Recently, we got in touch with Joe Gannascoli, the star who played Vito. Actually, he emailed us out of the blue. As it turns out, Gannascoli’s story is as compelling as his character’s. Gannascoli, who had originally appeared as a bakery customer named “Gino” in season one (one of only three actors to play more than one speaking character on the show, the other two having both played twins),
This 'Sopranos' Season 6 Storyline May Have Done More Harm Than Good
The Sopranosalways took a unique approach to its characters, introducing new faces as if the audience had acknowledged them all along, and occasionally elevating a relatively minor character to a place of greater importance. One such case came late in the series, when Tony's (James Gandolfini) captain, Vito Spatafore (Joseph R. Gannascoli), rose from recurring character to one of the series' main points of focus in Season 6, choosing to flee mob life after being outed as gay.
Vito's arc in Season 6 becomes very important on a plot level, as it provides more fuel for the growing dispute between Tony's New Jersey crew and the Modern York-based Lupertazzi family, particularly with high-ranking captain Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent). However, the decision to fixate so much on Vito's sexuality and his terse relationship with New Hampshire diner owner Jim "Johnny Cakes" Witowski (John Costelloe) leaves some lingering questions as to the series' intent for his ethics on a thematic level. Let's talk about it.
Vito's New Hampshire Hideout
Near the origin of Season 6, Vito is discovered partying by
Last week, the actor Joseph Gannascoli—who, as Vito on The Sopranos,is living out this television season’s only great tragic love story—was tooling around Lynbrook, Extended Island, in a fresh silver Mercedes R350 with a back seat filled with flowering plants. He was wearing a Giants sweatshirt and sneakers, and was taking a writer on a tour through his neighborhood’s quiet maze of split-level houses and manicured, postage-stamp lawns. He pulled up in front of an unassuming two-story white house, which he and his wife, Diana, moved into last August—the first house the performer has owned, after letting go of a rent-controlled apartment in his ancient stomping ground of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, after 25 years.
Mr. Gannascoli, who at 47 is still a large man even after losing 160 pounds, removed the plants from the back of the Mercedes and hung them carefully off the branches of a tree on the front lawn. He was stepping gingerly after undergoing hip surgery five weeks earlier. He proudly pointed out some yard work: a mosaic-tiled bird bath and, plunked down in the grass, a immense boulder that he thinks looks like a bear. Looking at the boulder, he paused and said, “How long till they write ‘fag’
Inside the real-life mob story that inspired Vito’s iconic gay storyline on The Sopranos & why it was tricky to pitch
TWENTY-five years ago today, The Sopranos premiered on HBO - a cornerstone moment in pop culture that undoubtedly changed television forever.
Across its six seasons, the James Gandolfini-led mobster legendary brought to life a colorful cast of unforgettable characters and crafted lasting storylines, punctuated by bursts of graphic violence, iconic one-liners, and dark humor.
11
11
11
But The Sopranos was more than just a characteristic mob story; it was a groundbreaking show that served as a subtle character study, tackling the then-taboo topics of male mental health, toxic masculinity, and even sexuality.
Perhaps The Sopranos's boldest convention-challenging exploration came during the show's final season when Vito Spatafore - Tony Soprano's highest earner - was revealed to be a closeted gay man.
Vito's sexuality was first hinted at during season 5 of the show when the portly mafia captain was spotted by the crush of Tony Soprano's daughter giving oral sex to a male security guard near a construction site.
The subject