Chris Rock says he liked The Sopranos too much to be on it

Chris Rock
(Image credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

There aren't a lot of people who can say they turned down an opportunity to be on perhaps the greatest TV drama of all time on multiple occasions.

But Chris Rock is apparently one of them. The comedian revealed in a Hollywood Reporter roundtable discussion published Wednesday that he received "a couple of offers" to be on The Sopranos back in the day, but he turned them all down. Why? Apparently, he just liked the show too much to actually be involved himself.

"Sometimes you can respect something so much, you don't even want to be a part of it," Rock explained. "Years ago, when I had my own show on HBO, it was at the height of The Sopranos, and I got a couple of offers to be on The Sopranos, and I was like, 'I like it too much, I don't want to spoil it.'"

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For those keeping track at home, this suggests that perhaps there's not only an alternate timeline out there where Alec Baldwin got his wish to play Tony Soprano's killer on the HBO series, but also another where Rock crushed it opposite James Gandolfini — or maybe one where he did, in fact, "spoil it."

Years later, though, Rock would have a similar opportunity that he actually didn't pass on for a "Tony Soprano-esque" role on the fourth season of Fargo, which the comedian has declared the "best part I'll ever have." Well, in this timeline, at least.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.