The actress appeared in “The Sopranos” season six episode “Kennedy and Heidi.”

Sarah Shahi reveals James Gandolfini was one of the best kisses she’s ever had

The actress appeared in "The Sopranos" season six episode "Kennedy and Heidi."

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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June 22, 2026 6:03 p.m. ET

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Sarah Shahi in Beverly Hills last October. Credit:

Frazer Harrison/WireImage

- Sarah Shahi revealed that this surprising celebrity was one of the best kisses she ever had.

- The actress said she and James Gandolfini shared an intimate scene together for *The Sopranos*.

- "I remember thinking to myself, like how am I going to get turned on by this 47-year-old large balding man...? But, oh boy, did it work for me."

Sarah Shahi is ready to kiss and tell.

The *Sex/Life** *and *Paradise** *actress revealed that *Sopranos** *star James Gandolfini was one of the best kisses she ever had. Shahi appeared in the sixth season's Emmy-winning episode titled "Kennedy and Heidi" as Sonya, Christopher Moltisanti's mistress and subsequently Tony Soprano's paramour.

"Tony goes to Vegas to tell the girl that he was messing with that Christopher died and I was the girl. I was a Vegas showgirl [and] college student," Shahi said, setting the scene for hosts Lauryn and Michael Bosstick on the June 18 episode of their podcast *The Bossticks*.

"And did you get to make out with him?" Lauryn asked. "Yes, we had a full-on sex scene," Shahi confirmed.

James Gandolfini and Shahi on 'The Sopranos'.

"I was on top of him and then we went to the desert and smoked peyote," the actress said. When asked what he was like, Shahi said, "He's incredible. He was incredible. He was a very troubled man, but the crew loved him."

Shahi gave an example, saying that the first day of shooting the episode, Gandolfini did not show up. "I went back to my hotel room and he sent me a dozen roses with a note saying like, 'Sorry about today. Don't be nervous cuz I suck. Love, the fat man.'"

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When Shahi finally met him, she described the late actor as "larger than life." "He's like, 'You get the flowers?' and me thinking, you know, I'm a badass and trying to keep up with this energy."

"I was like, 'Yeah, what's with that?' Like, 'Next time, send me something I can actually take back with me, like, Jimmy Chu, size seven.' And again, I was just trying to match his energy."

When she returned to her hotel room that night, those exact shoes were waiting for her.

Gandolfini and Shahi on 'The Sopranos'.

"Yeah, I did a sex scene with Tony Soprano," she continued. "One of the best, I have to say, kisses I’ve ever had."

"I remember thinking to myself, like how am I going to get turned on by this 47-year-old large balding man? Like, there's nothing. How is this going to work for me? But oh boy did it work for me."

In the scenes their characters were doing mushrooms, Shahi mentioned how committed Gandolfini was to the craft. “He’s a very method actor. So, he wanted props," she explained. "I think they actually had dehydrated mushrooms and he wanted them to put pepper on them or a lot of spice or just something, so when you put it in your mouth, there’s some kind of a reaction.

For the scene, Shahi recalled sitting on his lap while they were filming. "Then we have to kiss, and when they called cut, we were still kissing," she said. "We did it three, four times, and every time like they would call cut and we're still f---ing making out."

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*The Sopranos *ran on HBO from 1999 to 2007 and is considered one of the greatest shows in television history. Gandolfini died in June 2013 after suffering a heart attack. He was 51.

Listen to Sarah Shahi's full appearance on *The Bossticks *below.

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