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"Sopranos" Bags a Baldwin

Tue., Aug. 8, 2006 12:35 PM PDT by Gina Serpe

Daniel Baldwin is getting ready to play a supporting role in one of the world's most famous families. You could say it's a part he's been preparing for his entire life.

The Sopranos is continuing its experiment in authenticity by hiring actors with real-life rap sheets, signing Baldwin up for a recurring role in the final season of the Emmy-winning drama series.

According to the trades, Alec's little bro will play himself in the HBO hit, starring in the gangster horror flick produced by would-be filmmaker Christopher (Michael Imperioli).

In introducing the fictional project to investors in last season's premiere episode, Christopher described the movie as "Saw meets Godfather 2," saying the story centered on "a wiseguy with a big mouth and bigger dreams."

Chistropher subsequently flew to Hollywood and tried to convince Ben Kingsley (appearing as himself) to take the role. But Sir Ben turned it down.

Enter Baldwin.

Production on The Sopranos' final eight-episode run kicked off last month following lengthy, contentious and at times production-threatening negotiations between producers and the cast. Actual shooting is slated to begin in three weeks.

There's no word on how many of the remaining episodes Baldwin will appear in, though he's no stranger to the small-screen grind.

He starred on Homicide: Life on the Street from 1993 to '95, and has since starred in a series of best forgotten flicks. Most recently, the black sheep Baldwin wrapped up production on a pair of independent dramas, Searching for Mickey Fish and Double Tap.

Lately, the actor is better known for the drama taking place off screen.

In April, the trouble-prone Baldwin was busted for cocaine possession after police, responding to a noise complaint, entered his Santa Monica motel room and allegedly found him holding a drug pipe and a "small amount" of coke. He spent the night in jail and was released the next day on $10,000 bail, though prosecutors have since opted not to file any felony charges against him.

Last month, he again ran afoul of the law, when Los Angeles police spotted him weaving in and out of traffic before running a red light and smashing his rented Ford Thunderbird into two parked cars while driving 80 miles per hour in a 30-mph zone.

Police officials are continuing follow-up investigations on the incident, though as the case has yet to be sent to the city attorney's office for review, no charges have been filed.