Michael Imperioli Reveals Who the Funniest Sopranos Cast Member Was When the Cameras Weren’t Rolling (Exclusive)

Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa reunite, partnering with Sanpellegrino for their Italy-inspired CIAO! beverages

Michael Imperioli is reminiscing about his time on The Sopranos.

While he and his costar Steve Schirripa speak exclusively with PEOPLE in partnership with Sanpellegrino, Imperioli, 59, reveals who the funniest cast member was on their beloved series when the cameras weren’t rolling.

The White Lotus actor says that Tony Sirico, who portrayed Paulie Walnuts, was constantly making people laugh on set. “But not intentionally,” Imperioli notes, “just because of who he was.”

“He was a very specific, eccentric, human being, a great guy that we loved and was a good friend.”

“He was a bit of a hypochondriac, he was kind of paranoid and kind of egotistical and like Paulie Walnuts and, that made for a lot of fun and funny moments,” Imperioli adds.

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Schirripa, 67, also speaks highly of the late actor. “He knew if he was being funny or not — he broke the mold. He was one of a kind.”

Sirico died in 2022. Imperioli, who shared many scenes with Sirico’s Paulie Walnuts as Christopher Moltisanti, paid tribute to the actor, calling him “truly irreplaceable.”

“It pains me to say that my dear friend, colleague and partner in crime, the great TONY SIRICO has passed away today,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. “Tony was like no one else: he was as tough, as loyal and as big hearted as anyone i’ve ever known. I was at his side through so much: through good times and bad. But mostly good.”

“We found a groove as Christopher and Paulie and I am proud to say I did a lot of my best and most fun work with my dear pal Tony,” Imperioli added.

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Elsewhere in their conversation with PEOPLE, Schirripa says that the close-knit nature of the Sopranos cast made it feel like a family — and despite the hard times, the HBO drama series had many humorous moments.

“Of course, we worked very hard, but you’re doing scenes with 12, 13, 15 guys together. So there’s a lot of joking around and playing and we’ve been together for so many years.”

“You’re with these people, they become honestly like a family. Marriages, babies, divorces, so you, you’re all together,” the Blue Bloods actor continues. “Though there was some heavy times, there also was a lot of fun times. The Sopranos happens to be a very, very funny show.”

The actors and podcast cohosts reunited for an ad with Sanpellegrino for their CIAO! beverages, a new line of flavored sparkling water inspired by Italy’s zest for life. In the clip, Schirripa and Imperioli attempt to share the drinks that will take anyone back to Italy with their bold flavors.

However, their Sopranos connection has everyone convinced they’re part of the mob in real life, too.

“When we were out in a restaurant or something, people will come over and they do think we’re not Steve and Michael, they kind of treat us like other people, you know, like our TV personas,” Schirripa says.

The Sanpellegrino partnership couldn’t have been more perfect for the actors. “Sanpellegrino, I’ve been drinking it since I’m young, honestly, and now it’s flavored, and these flavors are great and it’s so much better than these other flavored bubbled waters,” Schirripa says. “I don’t know how many of them I drank while we were doing this thing.”