Imperioli also called Paul Sorvino and Tom Sizemore “brilliant actors” “forgotten by the Academy”.
Every year the Oscars hold an in memoriam segment honoring Hollywood stars and professionals who have lost their lives over the past year, and each time there’s controversy after the segment seems leave out notable faces. Star “White Lotus” Michel Imperioli adds to the criticism this year’s in memoriam has received, castigating the omission of its previous co-stars Tony Sirico, Paul SorvinoAnd Tom Sizemore.
“SORVINO, SIRICO and SIZEMORE”, Imperioli writing in an Instagram post on Monday, along with portraits of the three actors. “These three brilliant actors were forgotten by the Academy last night at the Oscars. I was proud and honored to have worked with these three men and it saddened me to see Hollywood ignore them on its biggest night.
Imperioli and Sirico worked together on all six seasons of HBO’s beloved mob drama “The Sopranos”; Imperioli played Christopher Moltisanti, while Sirico played the hot-tempered Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri. Both Imperioli and Sorvino appeared in supporting roles in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 gangster film classic “Goodfellas.” Sizemore and Imperioli were in two films together, 1990’s “A Matter of Degrees” and “Witness to the Mob” from 1998.
Earlier Monday, Sorvino’s daughter, actress Mira Sorvino critical his father’s omission from the Oscars tribute, writing on Twitter that “it is disconcerting beyond belief that my beloved father and many other brilliant actors who have passed away have been left behind. The Oscars forgot about Paul Sorvino, but the rest of us never will!!”
Besides Sorvino, Sirico and Sizemore, Anne Heche, Leslie Jordan, “Triangle of Sadness” star Charlbi Dean, Barbara Walters, Cindy Williams, Melinda Dillon, Philip Baker Hall, Hugh Hudson, Peter Brook, Mike Hodges, George T. Miller , and Lisa Marie Presley were among those not represented in the In Memoriam section, which was introduced by John Travolta and featured music by Lenny Kravitz. The segment ended with a QR code that directed viewers to a page on the official Oscars website, featuring a more comprehensive list of recently deceased stars.
Check out Imperioli’s Instagram tribute to the three actors below.
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