Exclusive: The Brewster Teacher That Inspired Michael Imperioli’s Theater Passion

"In Conversation with The Sopranos" is coming to the Paramount Hudson Valley on Saturday, April 5th. This live event will feature a discussion with The Sopranos cast, including Vincent Pastore (Big Pussy), Steve Schirripa (Bobby Bacala), and Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti).

Ahead of this exciting event, we had the chance to speak with Michael Imperioli, the actor who brought Christopher Moltisanti to life on The Sopranos. Here's our favorite moment from that conversation.

Lou: I'm a Brewster High School graduate, class of '97 and the word is you graduated Brewster, class of '83.

Michael: "That is true, you're right."

Lou: Did you have Ms. German in English class? 

Michael: "Yes, she was very important to me, kind of inspiring me to go into theater."

Lou: Me too, she was a wonderful lady. She used to say "jealousy is the green-eyed monster." 

Michael: "That turned out to be true didn't it? She was right."

Lou: I'm really delighted that you remember Ms. German and you saying she was special to you, she was special to me too. I was not a good student and I took her drama class twice and she was really supportive of me. She was a sweet, sweet lady so it does not surprise me at all to hear that she had an impact on you. 

Michael: "Oh yeah, in a very big way, definitely. We had to do an assignment where we were asked to write a short story in 10th grade. We had to choose a story and bring it to life. I chose Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart, which is written in the first person, so it's like a monologue. I performed it, and she told me, 'You should think about acting; you should join the drama club.' At the time, the idea of being on stage in high school wasn't appealing to me. The last thing I wanted was to stand out, you know? I was busy playing soccer and lacrosse, and I wasn't really into that. But I started reading a lot of plays because of her, in the school library, and I really began to get into theater. She also took us to the city to see some Broadway shows that year, in 10th grade, and that was really inspiring as well. So, I am definitely indebted to her kindness."

Lou: Sound very familiar, she took us to the city to see Phantom of the Opera. She was there so long that my dad had her in school and so did I. 

Michael: "Amazing, amazing." 

You can listen to our complete interview below.

Part 1 - Michael talked about the Brewster High School teacher that inspired him, and seeing plays in Danbury, CT. 

Part 2 - Michael shares secrets from the set of the "Pine Barrens" episode of the Sopranos and his chemistry with Tony Sirico. 

Part 3 - Michael chatted about how James Gandolfini's talent, elevated his game. 

Part 4 - Imperioli says he wishes he worked with "Uncle Junior" more. 

Check out the Ethan, Lou & Large Dave Podcast on Apple and Spotify