LOS ANGELES: Actor-comedian Chris Rock has revealed that he was approached by the makers of "The Sopranos" to appear on the show but he refused to take it up as he feared he would ruin the cult classic crime drama.
Rock featured in many comedy specials and a late-night talk show for HBO when "The Sopranos" debuted and became an instant classic on the network.
"Sometimes you can respect something so much, you don't even want to be a part of it.
Years ago, when I had my own show on HBO, it was at the height of 'The Sopranos,' and I got a couple of offers to be on 'The Sopranos,' and I was like, 'I like it too much, I don't want to spoil it'," Rock revealed on a panel for The Hollywood Reporter.
The actor, however, got to play a crime lord in the fourth season of the FX anthology series "Fargo".
Widely termed as one of the best-written TV dramas of all time, "The Sopranos" premiered on HBO on January 10, 1999.
The series ran for six seasons.
The story revolves around Tony Soprano, played by the late James Gandolfini, a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster trying to balance his family life with his role as the head of a mafia organisation.
His issues are revealed through his therapy session with his psychiatrist, played by Lorraine Bracco.
The story is getting a reboot with New Line Cinema set to make an origin movie, featuring Gandolfini's son Michael as a young Tony Soprano.