Why The Sopranos Recast Fairuza Balk

Thursday, November 21, 2002

As fans of HBO's The Sopranos know, Adriana's archenemy is FBI Agent Deborah Ciccerone ? who posed as her gal pal, "Danielle Ciccolella," to dig up mob dirt. Further complicating that identity crisis is the recasting of the female fed's portrayer! Okay, try to follow this... In the finale of season three, Danielle was played by Fairuza Balk (The Craft). When that episode repeated, Balk's scene had been reshot with recast Lola Glaudini, who's been playing Danielle ever since. What gives?

"I saw the new chick, who looks totally different from me," Balk tells TV Guide Online, chuckling. "That's the funny part, but it's cool. She was fine."

While HBO opted not to comment on the switcheroo, Balk says it was her choice to do only one Sopranos episode ? and adds that the show's scribes didn't decide to turn Danielle into a recurring character until after she'd already moved on to other work. "To be honest, when I went in there, they wanted me for the season finale," she says. "I was a big fan of the show, so I said I'd love to. I went in and I read for [the role]. I just wanted to go in there and do it to meet them and say, 'Hey, I was on The Sopranos!' I had never even thought about coming back. I had never planned on becoming a steady character.

"That's the way I wanted it ? to come in and come out," she continues. "It's a very rigorous schedule. I'm a film person. There was no dressing room, I didn't know anybody, and there was one take on everything ? very fast moving, very fast paced. I didn't even feel like I was there! It went so fast! But it was just a thrill for me to see James Gandolfini at the [script] reading and all that. I had a good time and I was really happy with the way I left."

Since she's free of any TV ties, Balk's focusing on her movies as usual. Next up, she co-stars with Parker Posey and Kyra Sedgwick in Personal Velocity (opening tomorrow): "There's a line where my character says, 'I used to paint and write. Now, I'm a waitress. I think I'm gonna be one of those people that has potential, but never realizes it.' By the end, she figures it out."

Here are some things Fairuza wanted me to post.

Hi, this is Fairuza and I will be sending Pete a message now and then to keep you updated.
 

5/26/2002

I get upset when fans get mad at me and say stuff like well I guess she just doesn't care, because I do, life's not as simple as some would like to believe and I don't know enough about computers to run my own site.
The reason most fan mail goes unanswered is that I don't hire out, Most people pay a service to fake signatures and letters, and I think that's gross, I do it myself so it takes forever, also people write asking for photos, and they don't send their own or send even a s.a.s.e* and I cant have them all printed myself, sign them myself and mail them off myself. Tell them that if they want signed picks, to send a photo with a s.a.s.e* to a new fan mail address is forthcoming so hang in there. I will get it, even if it takes a longtime. Eventually I will get to them all.
 

* Self Addressed Stamped Envelope

Here is something from another E mail she sent me.

The site is lovely and I am honored and very grateful for all of your hard work and dedication. It still amazed me that people  like my work so much, its almost too flattering for me to really get my head around.

Just so you know, right now I am currently writing and working on an album. Things are going splendidly and I am very pleased on the whole.

A film that I did called "personal velocity " got bought by United Artists and they say they are going to be giving it wide release so that's fantastic.

I have four 3 week old kittens and I am trying to find homes for them, as well as 3  baby ones that are still teeny weenie and are adorable.

Im planning on moving back to New York City this summer and am looking forward to the move.