‘The Sopranos’ star Steve Schirripa used to worry about being typecast as a mobster: ‘I’m not going to play an English professor’

• "Sopranos" star Steve Schirripa told Insider that he was afraid of getting typecast as a mobster.
• "Let's not kid ourselves. I'm a big guy, I have a raspy voice," the actor said in a new interview.
• Schirripa said he was grateful for the chance to play other roles on shows like "Blue Bloods."
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

"The Sopranos" star Steve Schirripa opened up about his worries of being typecast in a new interview with Insider.

Schirripa played Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri on the hit HBO crime drama for five seasons, and explained that it was his first ever acting job.

"When I first started on 'The Sopranos,' I had no career… I was dabbling in acting, it was more like a hobby," Schirripa told Insider while promoting his new partnership with Sir Kensington's.

While he was grateful for the chance to play Bobby for such a long run on the iconic show ("It was that or nothing"), Schirripa said he was glad to move further away from "mob stuff" with later projects – he went on to play a suburban dad opposite Shailene Woodley on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" and more recently, a detective on "Blue Bloods."

"I got away from that," the actor said of his role as the train-loving mobster on "The Sopranos."

"[But] let's not kid ourselves. I'm a big guy. I have a raspy voice. I'm not going to play an English professor," Schirripa added. "I've made a living for 21 years as an actor and I've been very lucky."

Still, Schirripa is happy to play the part of the enforcer when the opportunity arises - like in his new brand activation with Sir Kensington's. The actor recently partnered with the condiment company to help "protect" their 9-foot Midtown Manhattan billboard from curious passerby, sharing videos of himself on Instagram guarding the advertisement that was gradually "devoured" bit by bit over a few weeks.

A post shared by Steve Schirripa (@steveschirripaofficial)

In addition to his new role as billboard enforcer, Schirripa is currently starring as detective Anthony Abetemarco on the CBS police drama "Blue Bloods." He also cohosts a podcast with fellow "Sopranos" costar Michael Imperioli (who played Christopher Moltisanti) called "Talking Sopranos," on which the actors dissect the HBO drama episode by episode.

The two actors recently collaborated on a book version of their podcast. Titled "Woke Up This Morning," the book, which serves as an oral history of "The Sopranos," will be available in November.