Sopranos' Gay Character 'Johnny Cak' Kills Himself - Queerty

Contents:

• HOW GAY IS VO OM THE SOPRANOS?
• GAY ‘SOPRANOS’ MOBSTER FDS A B OF FAME
• THE GAY MOBSTER ‘SOPRANOS’ WRERS USED AS THE BASIS FOR VO SPATAFORE
• WAS PHIL LEOTARDO GAY?
• SOPRANOS‘ GAY CHARACTER ‘JOHNNY CAK’ KILLS HIMSELF
• JOE GANNASLI DISCS HIS LIFE DURG AND SCE PLAYG GAY MOBSTER VO SPATAFORE ON ‘THE SOPRANOS’
• ''THE SOPRANOS'': TONY'S GAY ISSU
• BARRY’S NOHO HANK: JT ANOTHER A SERI OF GAY TELEVISN MOBSTERS

HOW GAY IS VO OM THE SOPRANOS?

Gannasli is known to Sopranos watchers as “Gay Vo” (or even GaVo, certa exotic circl).

Gannasli dancg gleefully a biker’s p a leather bar, or gog on the lam to a gay Shangri-La ( this se, “Live Free or Die” New Hampshire) and fallg love wh the handsome mtached ok om the der—“Johnny Cak”—that have given TV viewers that rare feelg that they are watchg somethg new. Sure, there have been plenty of gay characters on televisn before: wacky Jack om Will & Grace, or David, the fsy unrtaker wh the hot p boyiend on Six Feet Unr.

GAY ‘SOPRANOS’ MOBSTER FDS A B OF FAME

But the plight of Gay Vo has stirred up siar feelgs to those viewers felt when they first tuned on Sunday nights 1999 to see a Prozac-poppg Mafia boss spill his guts to his therapist. Gannasli’s character, Vo Spatafore, was revealed as a closeted gay man when, at the end of last season, viewers spied his head e bobbg up om the lap of a secury guard.

THE GAY MOBSTER ‘SOPRANOS’ WRERS USED AS THE BASIS FOR VO SPATAFORE

GANNASCOLI who had ially brought up the ia of a gay mobster to the show’s wrers durg the filmg of season three, after he’d read Murr Mache by Gene Mta and Jerry Capeci, about an openly gay member of the Gambo crime fay who was allowed to live bee he was a good earner.

Early this season, the stage for tragedy was set when Vo was spotted by mobsters as he gallivanted full leather regalia a gay bar.

WAS PHIL LEOTARDO GAY?

Gannasli was recently asked to serve as grand marshal at an Atlanta Gay Pri para, and he’s received letters om openly gay and closeted men appldg his portrayal.

“Beg the rtrant bs, you’re wh a lot of gays, ” he shgged.

SOPRANOS‘ GAY CHARACTER ‘JOHNNY CAK’ KILLS HIMSELF

”Drsed appropriate leather bar attire, Vo Spatafore — the heretofore closeted gay mobster — was sighted by a uple wiseguys who me by the sweaty S&M jot to llect their protectn money. )Now that the gay story le is heatg up, the 47-year-old Brooklyn-born actor is immensely pleased, part bee was his ia to make Vo homosexual.

JOE GANNASLI DISCS HIS LIFE DURG AND SCE PLAYG GAY MOBSTER VO SPATAFORE ON ‘THE SOPRANOS’

“I wanted to make him sort of self-nial, self-loathg, a real gay hater.

”Gannasli’s suggtn was spired by the book “Murr Mache, ” about the Gambo fay, which had an openly gay member also named Vo. But even amid all the recent gay buzz, Gannasli knows the reactn to Vo won’t be all posive.

Gannasli had read a book about a gay mobster who was an associate of New York’s Gambo crime fay. Gambo associate Vo Arena had survived as a gay mobster the ’80s. There’s a mobster who’s gay and you don’t really see that.

''THE SOPRANOS'': TONY'S GAY ISSU

Though Green sound terted, Gannasli didn’t hear anythg more about until the murr of a gay Jersey mobster splashed across headl. A gay Jersey mobster’s murr ma ‘Sopranos’ wrers rensir.

Durg the trial of Jersey mobsters, a DeCavalnte soldier scribed murrg DeCavalnte boss Johnny Boy D’Amato for beg gay. “Nobody’s gonna rpect if we have a gay homosexual boss, ” the killer said urt.

One tertg theory floatg around the The Sopranos “universe” is that Lupertazzi boss Phil Leotardo was gay or bisexual. This theory basilly poss that Phil engaged homosexual acts while he was servg “20 years the n”.

BARRY’S NOHO HANK: JT ANOTHER A SERI OF GAY TELEVISN MOBSTERS

Sce the 1960s, people have been g the phrase “hidg the closet” to scribe those who choose to nceal their homosexualy. In other words, they see as a ht that Phil has been hidg his own homosexualy.