Michael Imperioli met a witch to get the film 'Summer of Sam' made.
Michael Imperioli met a witch to get 'Summer of Sam' developed
'The Sopranos' star was living at the notoriously haunted Chelsea Hotel in New York City and explained how he took supernatural steps to get the 1999 crime thriller – which he co-wrote with director Spike Lee and Victor Colicchio – through development.
Speaking in the documentary 'Ghosts of the Chelsea Hotel', Michael said: "I had just begun writing 'Summer of Sam' with Victor Colicchio – we wrote that script together.
"I really wanted to get it made. So I met somebody who was living here who was a witch, who said he could help me get it made, but it wasn't going to happen the way I thought it would. I was very ambitious at the time and wanted to get that made, so (I) resorted to tapping into otherworldly means to get it through the studio system."
Michael, 57, also had a cameo role in the flick, which is based on the real-life serial killer David Berkowitz (also known as the Son of Sam) – who terrorised New York in 1977. John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody, Mira Sorvino and Jennifer Esposito also starred.
The star is best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti in the acclaimed TV series 'The Sopranos' but took aim at Hollywood's "unimaginative" casting process as people assumed that he was a "gangster" like his character.
Asked if he was flooded with offers for more work, Michael told The Sunday Times newspaper: "Not really. I think at the time a lot of people thought I was that character.
"Kind of like 'Jersey Shore' and they’d found us all at the mall and put us on the show. Hollywood is very unimaginative when it comes to casting."
Tagged in John Leguizamo Michael Imperioli Spike Lee