NEW YORK, May 3 (UPI) -- Joseph Gannascoli says he relished the chance to play the first gay mobster on the U.S. cable television drama, "The Sopranos."
"It adds a lot of depth to the character," Gannascoli, who plays Vito Spatafore on the hit show, told the New York Daily News.
"It was my idea many years ago to have my character be gay, having read and known about gay wiseguys," he explained. "I want to be effeminate but knockaround."
Declaring he loves women in real life, Gannascoli said he is bracing for some folks to give him a hard time about his character, especially since gays and organized crime don't traditionally mix well.
"I'm going to have to deal with a lot of grief in the neighborhood. I'm a little worried about how my family is going to react," Gannascoli said. "But I wanted to really act. ... I don't want to just play mob guys for the rest of my career."
Gannascoli said when Tony Sirico, who plays Paulie Walnuts on the show, heard Vito was going to be shown in a compromising position, he grabbed him by the arm and said: "'You okay with this? You want me to have a talk with [the show's creator] David Chase?'"
