Joe Gannascoli from the much-loved program The Sopranos looks like a new man after shedding 150 entire pounds. He’s been very active on Instagram, posting snaps of himself throughout his weight loss journey as well as videos from his walks and work outs.
The actor, 67, recently sat down in an interview with The New York Post to discuss his weight loss journey, which has involved a mixture of a strict diet and exercise. Though there’s one thing in particular that Joe gives the majority of his weight loss credit to – pickleball.
Joe aims to start his day with a 6am early-bird round of golf before heading over to the pickleball courts by 8am, where he’ll either play a match against friends or strangers. After putting down his racket, Joe then often heads to the gym.
Speaking about the intense exercise, Joe said: “I just started hitting every body part, and I’m doing that four times a week. Now I’m doing heavier weights and less reps. … I like to get a good sweat going.”
During his early days on The Sopranos, Joe weighted 400 pounds at his heaviest. But now he says he feels much better in his own skin, and that the health kick has been just one of many positive changes he’s made in his life recently.
The star continued: “I feel better and look better than I did back on the show. And I quit gambling. After 50 years, a switch went off in my head. Life has been great. I’m not a religious person, but God has always looked out for me.”
Fan Reactions Online
Fans of Joe couldn’t be more proud of him for his weight loss journey and have been flooding his social media comments sections with praise.
One user said: “Oof… he looks fantastic!”
A second shared: “Great job Vit.”
Meanwhile others added “Legit looking better than when you was playing ball with Ralph!”, “You rock!”, and “Looking good champ!”.
Joe’s Role on ‘The Sopranos’
Joe is best known in the acting world for playing the role of Vito Spatafore on The Sopranos from its second season onward. He’s a closested gay mobster who is living a double life. Though the role was one made even more special to Joe as he pitched the idea of the character to producers himself after reading a true-crime book called Murder Machine. In turn, his idea for a character was the first one The Sopranos’ showrunner David Chase ever adopted.
Before appearing in season two as Vito, Joe made a brief appearance in season one episode eight in the role of another character called Gino at a bakery. It was a minor one-scene role where Joe (Gino) was a customer.
Prior to his huge success on The Sopranos, Joe starred in a number of films including Men in Black 2, Mickey Blue Eyes, Submission, Money for Nothing, and Tom Burton’s Ed Wood. He’s also a chef and has released cooking-inspired books including a culinary crime novel called A Meal to Die For: A Culinary Novel of Crime.
