10 Times TV Actors Thought They Would Be Fired For Sure

9. Michael Imperioli - The Sopranos

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HBO

Michael Imperioli played Tony Soprano's (James Gandolfini) protégé Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos, though on his very first day of shooting feared he would be let go after a blatant lie he told to the production came frothing to the surface.

In a 2020 interview with Page Six, Imperioli revealed that he never informed the show's production team that he couldn't drive, despite the role requiring him to occasionally operate a car in order to drive Tony around. This led to quite the unfortunate gaffe during his first day on set. He said:

"I didn't tell them [he couldn't drive] because I wanted the job and in one of the takes I actually back up into a tree and smashed up the back of the Lexus... We all jumped forward, the air bags came out, smoke, it was a big disaster and I was thinking [Gandolfini] must be thinking I'm an idiot, this is going to be a disaster, they're going to fire me... And he just looks at me and starts cracking up laughing and we both just broke down hysterically and I thought, 'Ok this is going to be a good ride.' That was a bonding moment."

Given that it's basically impossible to picture anybody else playing Chris as well as Imperioli did, it's just as well that this vehicular mishap didn't get him axed.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.