‘Impeachment: American Crime Story’: Edie Falco Is Certain She Got the Hillary Clinton Role Because of Her Ability to ‘Fight With Husbands’
Of the many talented actors on The Sopranos, Edie Falco is one of the most memorable. The constant bickering and fighting between her and her on-screen husband, James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano), were iconic and realistic, despite never hanging out in real life. In fact, she even called Gandolfini her longest intimate relationship at one point.
Leading into one of her more recent roles as Hillary Clinton in Impeachment: American Crime Story more than a decade later, Falco accredits getting her role to her reputation for fighting husbands. Whether that’s actually the case or not, there’s no denying her performances are noteworthy.
Falco considers herself typecasted as an actor that ‘fights with husbands’
After eight long years on The Sopranos, Falco is sure that she was typecasted by Ryan Murphy when receiving the role of Hillary Clinton in his latest adaptation of the infamous affair between President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.
“I’m sure Ryan thought, ‘Oh, Edie does fight scenes with husbands,'” the Landline star said in an interview with The Guardian. “You know what I mean?” And if you don’t know what she means, you will when you realize just how similar Hillary and Carmela are.
On the surface, their situations were very different — Carmella was the wife of a mob boss, and Hillary was the wife of the 42nd President of the United States. Deep down, however, their marital relationships were almost entirely on point.
Hillary Clinton (‘Impeachment’) versus Carmela Soprano (‘The Sopranos’)
Although the two TV series are nothing near the same, Falco’s roles as Hillary and Carmela are almost identical.
First and foremost, the most obvious connection is the power and influence of each woman’s husband. Hillary’s husband led the country for a living, and Tony Soprano led the New Jersey Mafia family, one of the six affiliated crews, for a living. So, they themselves were in a sort of powerful position compared to most women in their time.
Each wife was devoted entirely to their spouse, despite what it had done to their outside reputation and how much it conflicted with their own opinions and beliefs. Add in infamous affairs and constant lying, and you have a recipe for both marriages.
Another similarity between the two characters was their almost stubborn commitment to staying married to their spouses despite the obvious pain and suffering. No matter what it was doing to them mentally and physically, they were determined to make the marriage work.
Falco did point out in her interview that she doesn’t think the two characters are completely the same.
“I do think Hillary is a genuinely good person and is into public service. I do not believe that was the case with Carmela,” Falco continued. “She wanted what she had: house, kids, money.”
Where else you’ve likely seen Falco (or should check out!)
With nearly 70 roles under her belt, there’s no denying that the four-time Primetime Emmy winner and Golden Globe winner has had a long and successful career in the industry.
Some of her most notable TV roles include Leslie Abramson on Law & Order True Crime, Officer Diane Whittlesey on Oz, Sally Bell on Law & Order, Jackie Peyton on Nurse Jackie, and Celeste Cunningham on 30 Rock. More recently, she has also taken on the role of Abigail ‘Tommy’ Thomas on the TV series Tommy.
Her most popular movie roles include Fargo, Judy Berlin, Cost of Living, Cop Land, and Gods Behaving Badly.
Fortunately, you haven’t seen the last of this superstar, either. Falco is set to premiere in at least four more projects in the next couple of years: The Disaster Dreams, El Tonto, Avatar 2, and Avatar 3.
