Sarah Shahi Recalls James Gandolfini as One of Her Best On-Screen Kiss Partners

Sarah Shahi named James Gandolfini among the most memorable actors she has kissed on screen, reflecting on their shared scene in The Sopranos.

The 46-year-old actress appeared on The Bossticks podcast with Lauryn and Michael Bosstick, where she talked about her role as Sonya Aragon in the Emmy-winning sixth season episode “Kennedy and Heidi.”

In that episode, Shahi’s character, a stripper and mistress to Christopher Moltisanti, engages in a sexual encounter with Tony Soprano, portrayed by Gandolfini, in Las Vegas. The scene also features the use of peyote.

Shahi described Gandolfini as one of the “best” kiss partners she has had during her acting career.

“Yeah, I did a sex scene with Tony Soprano. One of the best, I have to say, kisses I’ve ever had,” she said on the podcast. “I remember thinking to myself, like how am I going to get turned on by this 47-year-old large balding man? Like, there’s nothing. How is this going to work for me? But oh boy did it work for me.”

She recalled that during filming, she had to sit on Gandolfini’s lip and kiss him, and even after the director called cut, they continued to kiss.

“Then we have to kiss, and when they called cut, we were still kissing,” Shahi revealed. “We did it three, four times, and every time like they would call cut and we’re still f–king making out.”

Before filming began, Gandolfini sent Shahi flowers and a note as a personal gesture.

“He’s incredible. He was incredible. He was a very troubled man, but the crew loved him,” Shahi recalled. She said Gandolfini missed the first day of shooting the episode. “I went back to my hotel room and he sent me a dozen roses with a note saying like, ‘Sorry about today. Don’t be nervous cuz I suck. Love, the fat man.'”

When they finally met, Shahi tried to match Gandolfini’s “larger than life” personality.

“He’s like, ‘You get the flowers?’ and me thinking, you know, I’m a badass and trying to keep up with this energy, I was like, ‘Yeah, what’s with that?'” she said. “Like, ‘Next time, send me something I can actually take back with me, like, Jimmy Choo, size seven.’ And again, I was just trying to match his energy.”

That same evening, Shahi discovered the Jimmy Choo shoes waiting for her in her hotel room.

Earlier this year, Shahi spoke publicly about her divorce from Steve Howey and noted that her work on Sex/Life played a role in her decision to make that life change.