Steve Schirripa from “The Sopranos” partnered with FreshPet for a mob-inspired commercial starring the actor. Schirripa played the ill-fated character Bobby Baccalieri on the HBO drama.
The 67-year-old actor also played Detective Anthony Abetemarco on “Blue Bloods,” but his new FreshPet commercial plays on his days as a New Jersey mobster.
The new commercial starring Steve Schirripa is set to air on Netflix during the Christmas Day NFL games.
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Steve Schirripa Stars In FreshPet Commercial
The cute commercial features Steve Schirripa playing cards with several “made” guys when one of the men comes back with a package that needs to be refrigerated.
When the man questions why there is dog food inside the refrigerator, Schirripa replies, “That’s not dog food. That’s FreshPet. Real meat. Real veggies. For my boy, Junior.”
“No disrespect,” the man replies. “But, uh, what are we doin’ here?”
The room falls silent as everyone stares at the man. The next scene shows a trunk being shut on the man as Schirripa and Junior look on. “If anybody asks, we were at grandma’s,” Schirripa tells Junior.
Schirripa told PEOPLE that FreshPet contacted him after learning that he feeds it to his dog, Willieboy.
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“I have a dog, Willieboy, who’s eating FreshPet for the last couple of years,” he said. “They sent me the script over and after playing the detective for the last nine years, it was fun to slip back into that old ‘Sopranos’ mode.”
“I thought it was really smart, really clever and really funny commercial,” he added.
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Steve Schirripa Shared An Old Christmas Clip From ‘The Sopranos’
Steve Schirripa also shared an old clip from “The Sopranos” on Instagram on Dec. 23. The clip features Paulie (played by Tony Sirico) telling Bobby that he had to play Santa Claus for the neighborhood kids. “Last Christmas” by Wham! plays in the background.
The hilarious scene features a reluctant Bobby as he gives out Christmas gifts to the kids.
“You wanna play Santa Claus at the party this year?” asks Paulie.
“Nah. I can’t do that,” replies Bobby. “Yes you can,” answers Paulie. After Bobby says again that he can’t play Santa Claus because he’s shy, Paulie responds, “The boss of this family told you you’re gonna be Santa Claus. You’re Santa Claus, so shut the f-ck up about it.
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After Bobby calls out a little boy for trying to sit on Santa’s lap a second time and will “get nothin'”, the kid replies, “F-ck you, Santa,” resulting in the grownups in the room exclaiming, “Whoa!”
Bobby died during the last season of ‘The Sopranos” after being shot to death while looking at trains at a toy store.
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Willieboy Joined Schirripa On The Set Of ‘Blue Bloods’
Schirripa also told the outlet that he loves his dog, Willieboy, “unconditionally” and as much as he loves his two children. “I have two daughters, and it’s amazing you could have feelings for an animal,” he said. “He’s like part of my family.”
The “Blue Blood” actor played Detective Anthony Abetemarco in the cop drama for nine seasons before it came to an end earlier this month, and Schirripa shared pictures with his fans on Instagram after bringing Willieboy to the set.
The post was captioned, “Anthony Abetemarco needed a little direction on the set of @bluebloods_cbs today, and Willieboy came to the rescue!” Willieboy is even seen watching his dad acting in one adorable shot.
Schirripa Jokes His Daughters Are Jealous Of Willieboy
Schirripa and his wife, Laura, take Willieboy with them everywhere, even when they are on vacation. “The Sopranos” actor also joked that his two daughters, Bria and Ciara, are jealous of the dachshund from time to time.
“He’s like my son, I worry about him,” he admitted. “My daughters get jealous, I think, at times. ..Me and my wife are empty nesters and Willie’s the focus, and he brings us much joy and a lot of laughs.”
Schirripa shared several pics of his family vacation back in 2022, and Willieboy was front and center.
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Steve Schirripa Walked His Daughter Down The Aisle At NYC Wedding
Schirripa walked his daughter, Ciara, down the aisle at her 2023 wedding in New York City. He also walked his daughter, Bria, down the aisle in 2021, according to PEOPLE.
The proud father noted that Ciara and her husband, Zach, were college sweethearts who met at the University of Delaware back in 2014.
“We all planned the wedding together. Zach has been with Ciara for seven years — they’re college sweethearts — and so he’s part of the family already,” said Schirripa. “It was just one big party, and it was very emotional, of course, because it’s my youngest daughter. Now we’re real empty-nesters, me and my wife Laura.”
