Bada Bing, Bada Eh? Sopranos premiere features Quebecois mobsters

by Kaitlin | April 5, 2007 at 02:05 pm

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The coolest part about this (besides a Canadian element in one of my favourite shows, of course) is that actor Bergeron was cast in the role after working French-Canadian dialogue with show writer Andrew Schneider. Schneider, in turn, had been tipped to Bergeron by a French-Canadian employee in his dentist's office. After helping write the part, Bergeron suggested they cast a French-Canadian actor for authenticity...then mentioned he was an actor (clever!). He auditioned for the role, and won it.

And actor Philippe Bergeron couldn't be happier. "I think the French-Canadian bad guy has been vastly underused over the years," he says in a telephone interview from his Los Angeles home.

"If you think about it, I don't think in the history of American film and TV there is a memorable French-Canadian baddie. I can't think of one."

Bergeron hopes he and fellow actor Christian Laurin, also a native Quebecer, will help fix that.

Bergeron plays Denis, a Quebecois mobster who wants to do business with Soprano in the kickoff to the acclaimed crime show's final nine episodes. Laurin is his sidekick.