Lorraine Bracco has revealed that The Sopranos creator David Chase wanted her to play the role of Tony's wife Carmela and not Dr. Jennifer Melfi, his psychiatrist. The Oscar nominated actress, 60, revealed she turned down the starring role alongside James Gandolfini in the landmark HBO drama because she had already played a mobster's wife in Goodfellas, nine years previously. Accusing Chase of lazy casting, Bracco chose instead the complicated role of Dr. Melfi, who provided the therapy that allowed New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano to justify many of his monstrous acts. Scroll down for video . Revelation: Lorraine Bracco said that she was first approached to play the role of Carmela in The Sopranos and not Dr. Jennifer Melfi . Speaking to Huffington Post Live, Bracco explained how she convinced Chase to change his mind. 'I fell in love with David (Chase) the minute I met him, when I walked into the room. 'I said, 'I like this guy. And I said, 'Look, I don't think I should play Carmela because I did it, I did it in a Scorsese movie, I got an Oscar nomination. 'I really don't think I'm going to bring so much to this for you that I haven't done already,' she told HuffPost Live on Monday. What could have been: Lorraine Bracco wanted to play Dr. Jennifer Melfi (left) but was originally asked by show creator David Chase to play Carmela Soprano. He cast Edie Falco (right) instead . Oscar nominated: Lorraine Bracco starred opposite Ray Liotta in Goodfellas in 1990. The Martin Scorsese mob drama is recognized as one of the greatest movies in that genre . Obviously not wanting to count herself out of what became arguably the best television drama ever made, Bracco asked to play the character of Dr. Melfi instead. 'I said, 'But I really love this script, and I want to play Mefli.' ... And he agreed with me that I'd done it already and it wasn't really incredible creative casting for him. He said, 'You want to play Melfi?' And I said, 'Yeah, I want to play Mefli'' So I left on that, and he gave it to me.' Speaking about the untimely death of James Gandolfini in 2013, Bracco said his passing was devastating and a wake up call. 'Well yea. My parents died nine days apart and then later Jimmy passed and Jimmy is a decade younger than me,' said Bracco to HuffPost Live. Soprano's stars: Edie Falco, James Gandolfini and Lorraine Bracco at the launch of the show's fifth season in New York City in 2005 . 'I always teased him, 'You gotta get rid of that belly' and he would say, 'Oh, it's pure muscle!' said Bracco. 'But yea, it (his death) was devastating. Young man, talented, at the peak of his career. The peak of his life with a beautiful wife and and baby and his son Michael. 'Greatest guy ever. Loving, caring, sweet, funny, jokester'
Lorraine Bracco was asked by The Sopranos creator to be Carmela.
The actress turned him down because she played a mobster's wife in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas in 1990.
Convinced showrunner David Chase to let her play the role of Dr. Jennifer Melfi.