Aida Turturro

Love her too.. Back in the day I remember reading that she was attention starved during The Sopranos- She LOVED attention.

She was fucking amazing in that role- Comedy/Drama/Crazy/Sane- Perfection.

I always remember her line reading while dealing with Livia.

Livia was being a contrarian, and Janice reminded her

"BARB SAID YA HATED IT!" But she kind of sang the line- She was just amazing-

R1, Janice was also a defender of gays! What a goddess!

That whacking was so satisfying, R2. One of the few times I cheered for Janice.

Love her

Agreed, R3. That, and when she beats the living shit out of the soccer mom/frau on the soccer field. The cops later chasing her all over the field on the evening news was an added bonus.

The line “He Bottoms from the top “ always stays in my head. …. She was so great with her carpal tunnel syndrome and leg stealing and DeCastro sister albums…

I love when she stole that Russian ho's prosthetic leg!!!

R5, just for you!

Perhaps THE funniest scene during the entire run of The Sopranos series when Janice is having kinky sex with one of her Mafia boyfriends.

I'll pimp you out BITCH!

It starts about 1:42

Nails on a chalkboard for me.

Didn’t she get blown up in that killer shark movie back in the 90s?

Many times I wanted to reach through the tv and smack Janice. I figure that’s a statement to her acting

Yes, R11.

Janice and Tony get into it after he tells her she left home to drop acid and blow roadies!

Her therapist says she's regressing!

I would pay $500 if I could see the Broadway version of 'Streetcar Named Desire' with Gandolfini and Aida.

I agree about the Emmy. I think the closest she came was when she was nominated for Soprano Home Movies in the last season.

That’s the year Katherine Heigl pulled off a surprise win.

I always thought it was so interesting that Joyce Van Patten played her therapist - they look so much alike. Joyce used to be married to Martin balsam and is Talia Balsam’s mother. She is John Slattery’s mother in law and George Clooney’s ex- mother in law. Her brother is/was Dick Van Patten . Her 1/2 brother is Sopranos director Tim Van Patten ….. She must be closed to 90 now. …. Are you guys asleep by now? Zzzzzzzzz

R17, yuck. She lost to *her*?

[quote]You come riding into town like some Vishnu-come-lately and try to play the concerned daughter, who the fuck are you kidding?!

This show had some great quotes.

She IS Aida Turturro!

I’ve told this story here before but for those who missed it…

My partner hired her back in the 90s. She would coordinate NYC apartment moves by busy people. My partner traveled a lot and wouldn’t be around so he gave her an idea where everything should go in the new place, and she oversaw packing up everything and unpacking it all and putting it away so he returned to a fully set up apt.

He said she was terrific and charming and told her she was working to become an actress. Sure enough!

She did do a lot of Law & Order episodes, usually as a judge. I always liked her work.

She seems like she'd be fun to have a drink with.

Aida Turturro is awesome as perhaps the most interesting character next to Tony Soprano.

Her sociopathic nature is masked so well in her nutty fake earth mother/suburban facade. Whoever wrote for her character was brilliant, especially noting she has an estranged young adult son named Harpo!

Stealing the one-legged Russian woman's prosthetic leg was the craziest thing I've ever seen on tv.

sacré bleu where is me mama?

I wonder where harpo is eating his Sunday dinner.

R18

Joyce was also in Bad News Bears.

I keep forgetting how amazingly well acted the Sopranos was. I loved Janice,she was so deeply flawed yet somehow human.

The Sopranos is one of those shows I could just watch on a loop for ever

Janice steals Svetlana's leg!

Ugh, you are boring woman.

R32, Janice should've beaten you with your prosthetic leg.

The Janice character was brilliant. Such a manipulative piece of shit, but there was pathos there, and at times I'd feel sorry for her - even if what's she was seeking. And she could be really fucking funny - either straight up, or just in how she handled things.

Janice is an opportunist worm and grifter. She nailed playing those qualities.

OP- She's sorta the Vivian Vance of the Sopranos- one of the best characters on the show and totally underappreciated.

Patti LuPone was almost cast in this and lost the role at the last minute. She’s given many interviews about how devastated she was to lose the role to Aida.

There’s a 14 year age difference between LuPone and Turturro.

LuPone could have played Livia’s [bold]sister[/bold], not daughter.

I'm trying to picture LuPone as Janice. I don't think she would work as well as Turturro.

LuPone could probably pull off Janice and there's a good chance it could be good - though the characterization would be different. If it had happened, we wouldn't have a Turturro frame of reference to compare. I'm glad they went with Turturro since she was such a unique hoot to watch.

R39- I agree.

She was great as that CRAZY Greek on the 1998 episode of Frazier.

LuPone would be more believable as a mobster than as some deadbeat fake hippy. Maybe she could have been a member of Johnny Sack's crew.

Didn't Janice go by "Parvati" at the beginning? After joining an ashram in California.😂

LuPone could've been Lorraine Calluzzo, the lady shylock.

Zis cunt gonna vish she never fucks wis me.

I love how Sventlana was only person to successfully deal with Janice and all that meant was to not take her bait. Something her family was incapable of.

Absolutely, R44!

I would hate to see Patti degraded having to deliver the line, “I’ll suck ya cocks, awl a yous!” R44.

I never understood the point of the 2nd, little-featured sister, Barbara, until I realized that her entire arc was to prove that she was the only one who was normal, rejected that lifestyle, and made it out. Her two older siblings were fucked up lmao

She was on an episode of What We Do in the Shadows a few years ago. I hadn't seen her in anything for a while, so her weight loss was surprising.

Recent Aida from R49

I'd run into her occasionally in the West Village, where she visited a friend. This was about two years ago. She always made a fuss over my dog. Very friendly, but seemed a bit "off."

Well, you have to be a bit off to be an actor, most especially an actor playing Janice.

A friend of mine gets celeb endorsements for a big ad agency. Has worked with lots of big names. Sev years ago she told me that Aida was her fav. They became friendly—both were single at the time and would go out looking for guys together but mainly just laugh their asses off at their bad luck with men.

R47- Sadly that Patti is anti vaxxer conspiracy theorist.. Likely a Trumptard, she cleaned up her Insta a little but I unfollowed Patti D.

R18 No, I am NOT sleeping! Thanks for the tea!

[quote]She did do a lot of Law & Order episodes, usually as a judge. I always liked her work.

I watched a LOT of L&O and never saw her as a judge! I'm not doubting you, I'm just surprised...

While in her hippie stage, Janice named her son "Harpo". This was mentioned when she moved into the Soprano household. In a much later season, she tells Tony she's disappointed that Harpo - as an adult - changed his name to "Hal".

Didn't she also frighten Bobby's kids on AIM messenger, pretending to be a ghost, just so that she could then comfort them afterwards and look maternal?

LOL!!!! YESS!!!!! ^^^

Yes, R58, using a Ouija board.

R56 I haven't seen her on the main line order but she pops up occasionally on the sexy times version starring Olibia.

The one thing I'll give LuPone over Turturro is that she looks like she could be the daughter of Nancy Merchand. Funny enough, LuPone's late brother, Robert, played Dr. Bruce Cusamano, the Sopranos' next-door neighbor.

I wish Chase had found another role for her because I would've loved seeing her act with James Gandolfini on screen.

R56- I recall her as a judge on Law and Order:Criminal Intent not Law and Order.

Janice was the absolute worst on the Sopranos.

By which I mean she was the best.

Marcia Gay Harden also read for the role.

I can't imagine her as Janice, r64. She's too attractive and too sophisticated. I could easily buy her as Melfi.

R9, Janice was sexually voracious! Remember she was shacking up with a 19-year-old twink whom she bragged "could go all night long."