The William is certainly a suitable location for a mobster meeting. Located in Midtown Manhattan, this beaux arts hotel and former social club is the essence of Old New York: a celebration of dark wood paneling, soaring ceilings, marble fireplaces and brass mirrors. Music drifts down the hall, echoing off the wooden floor, while party chatter fills the space.
As I'm led behind a thick velvet curtain to meet none other than Michael Imperioli himself, the scene feels almost too Hollywood. Sitting in the ornately upholstered chair, the 58-year-old actor looks as distinctive as ever, his head neatly tucked back with gray hair and a dark, wrinkled forehead.
Normally I would be hesitant to ask him questions about the mob; after all, his resume goes far beyond his role on HBO The sopranos. But luckily for me, the mafia is exactly what we want to talk about. Imperioli is executive producer and narrator of History's new three-part documentaries, American Godfathers: The Five Familiesand it's clear from the get-go that he's a fan of the source material.
“They sent me the book, which I thought was brilliant,” Imperioli says of how he got involved with the series, based on Selwyn Raab's 2016 bestseller. Five Families: The Rise, Fall, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. “As a narrator, you have to really love the material, you have to connect with it, you have to really absorb it.”
The series follows the five families that have run organized crime in New York for the better part of a century. From humble Sicilian roots to windfalls from prohibition and the drug trade, to the turbulent power struggles that bring many of them down, this is a fascinating and comprehensive look at the true history behind America's most notorious criminals.
These are also stories tailored to Hollywood – Iperioli's stories were successful at the beginning of his career. The reason for his fascination with the mafia is obvious to him.
“There's this secret society that came out of the visible immigrant experience,” says Imperioli. “They do this ritual: they cut their finger, put blood on the saint, and burn it. They live in mostly middle-class neighborhoods. You could be your neighbor and you'd never know the guy was a captain in one. I think people find that really fascinating. will be found.”
I wonder – after spending a good amount of time immersed in real mob history – if you think the Hollywood stories of mob life are exaggerated. To my surprise, Imperioli says the opposite is likely. It evokes Martin Scorsese's 1990 classic Good guyswhere, as an example, he got a breakout role as Spider. Although the film starts relatively cheerfully in the 1950s, when the characters first become involved in mob life, the very first scene is a flash forward to the violent murder of Frank Vincent's character, Billy Bass.
“Now why did he do it [Scorsese] do that?” asks Imperioli. “I think it's because before we lure you into this world, the sharkskin suit and Frank Sinatra, it's like: This is rough gravel. Even though it's a movie, I don't think we even know the extent of some horror stories. A lot of people have met incredibly violent ends in very disturbing ways.”
All the way American GodfatherImperioli's narrative often harkens back to the code of ethics that bound the five families together and helped them avoid infighting and prosecution. The most important of these is omertà, or the code of silence. Although the word itself is not spoken The sopranosthe concept plays out throughout the series, especially in interactions with the police after Imperioli's character Christopher is shot.
Hollywood operates a little differently than the mob, although the early days of the industry have their ties to organized crime. And while the saying “old boys' club” persists, Imperioli doesn't see omerta in filmmaking—at least not anymore.
“I think it was fortunately blown up by the Me Too movement,” he reflects. “I think before that, people, especially women, were afraid to speak out about certain abuses and injustices. People felt powerless because there was no opportunity.”
Although I like the mobster roles The sopranos and Good guys It remains an iconic part of Imperoli's career, and has recently been experiencing a career renaissance. Last year, he received an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Mike White in HBO's critical favorite The white lotusand made his Broadway debut at the top of 2024 opposite Jeremy Strong The enemy of the people.
The roles helped introduce the veteran actor to a new generation. Not that he needs it. After all, his classic roles resonate even years later. For Imperioli, the new burst of attention is a full-circle moment.
“The younger generation of filmmakers seems to have grown up in some of the things I've been involved in,” he said. “And some people want to work with me, that's great. I've never been in this position in the past, but it's good that the projects I've been involved in are held in such high regard. It's not easy to have a long career and maintain quality projects, it's hard, so it's very I feel lucky.”
American Godfathers: The Five Families from Sunday, August 11 to Tuesday, August 13 at 20:00 on History.