Cristin Milioti plays Sofia Falcone, a fearsome mob boss in The Penguin. Nearly 10 years ago, she got her first major role in The Sopranos.
Milioti is arguably best known for playing Tracy McConnell, the titular mother of How I Met Your Mother. She’s also starred in the likes of Palm Springs, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Black Mirror’s USS Callister (a role she’ll reprise in Season 7 next year).
However, long before her villainous role in The Penguin, she appeared in The Sopranos as Catherine Sacrimoni, the youngest daughter of Johnny Sack.
It was a small recurring part, appearing in just three episodes in the final season. However, a brief appearance in one of the greatest, most binge-worthy TV shows of all time is still a legendary credit.
"The Penguin" star Cristin Milioti's first acting job was in The Sopranos. pic.twitter.com/FAtWfKl89B
— 633 Stag Trail Road 🤌 (@pityforyourself) September 21, 2024
“Sopranos was my first time on a set. It was my first job, and I didn’t know the show because I couldn’t afford HBO. So I knew it was a big show but I’d never seen it,” she told MovieZine.
“I didn’t watch it until two years ago, and it turns out is the best show of all time. That was fun to learn.”
Milioti isn’t the only big star to appear in The Sopranos and fade from people’s memory. Paul Dano (who played The Riddler in The Batman) had a brief role in the series, as did Will Arnett, Michael B. Jordan, and Lady Gaga.
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As one X/Twitter user pointed out, “The inverse ‘curse’ of Sopranos was that the careers of minor characters exploded compared to the main cast.”
Sofia Falcone is arguably Milioti’s biggest role to date. In a press conference, she said it’s been “an incredible dream… because so much happens to her.
“I’m also a lifelong Batman fan. So I’ve been dreaming of this since I was very young. On a personal level, it was extremely surreal. As an actor, I would read each script and I would pinch myself because of how great it was to learn all of those things about Sofia.
“I couldn’t believe that I was going to do this. I felt this way about the whole show, but there were so many moments in Episode 4, especially putting that uniform on and getting so excited. That was one of my favorite things I’ve ever filmed.”
For more, check out our Episode 1 recap of The Penguin and when you can watch Episode 2. You can also learn more about The Batman 2, and find out why the Batman isn’t in The Penguin.