Jamie-Lynn Sigler has revealed the devastating psychological toll of being body shamed during her years on The Sopranos, saying relentless scrutiny over her appearance left her feeling “not good enough” to have a place in one of television’s most celebrated dramas.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the actress, now 44, who played Meadow Soprano on The Sopranos from 1999 to 2007, spoke candidly about the pressure she faced as a young woman working on the landmark HBO mob series.
Appearing on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast with host Amanda Hirsch, Sigler described how cruel comments about her body and appearance contributed to deep insecurities and an eating disorder later detailed in her memoir, And So It Is… A Memoir of Acceptance and Hope.
Sigler said: “I had somebody call me live on a radio show and tell me that they had bets with their friends how much weight I had gained in between seasons.”
She continued: “It was kind of ruthless back then, for sure. You felt immense pressure.
“I was already coming into it not looking like a Hollywood star and how these people that I was seeing on the CW shows that I loved looked like. And then to have all that confirmed to my face was really difficult.”
A source familiar with the production said the entertainment industry of the late 1990s and early 2000s was particularly unforgiving toward young actresses who did not conform to rigid beauty standards.
The insider said: “There was an expectation that women on television had to look impossibly polished at all times. Jamie-Lynn was under a microscope almost immediately because The Sopranos became such a cultural phenomenon.”
Another source close to Sigler said the actress internalized much of the criticism she encountered during the show’s early years.
They added: “She was incredibly young and suddenly dealing with fame, public judgment and constant comparisons to other actresses. It had a profound effect on her confidence.”
Sigler also explained many of the struggles she endured were faced privately as she did not know how to ask for support.
She said: “I think unfortunately for many of the things that I talk about and I struggled with in the book, I went through them all alone in my own head and in my own way.
“I just didn’t know how to ask for help. I didn’t know how to open myself up. You know, I think the eating disorder would have happened regardless of the show. I think it was just the time and my fragile way of thinking that led me into that space.”
The actress also recalled dramatically altering her appearance between filming the pilot episode and the remainder of the first season, losing a significant amount of weight and undergoing cosmetic surgery.
According to Sigler, the transformation alarmed producers enough it sparked discussions about whether she should remain on the show.
She said: “I’m 40 pounds lighter with a different face pretty much.”
Sigler revealed producers contacted her mother over concerns about her changing appearance, leaving her terrified she would lose the role that launched her career.
She said: “I knew that they were confronting her about my size and my face and I was convinced I was gonna get fired. And they toyed with that idea, rightfully so.”
The actress said the experience permanently shaped the way she viewed herself during production on the acclaimed series.
Sigler said: “I don’t know why the decision was made to keep me. I’m obviously grateful that they did but that sort of, unfortunately, set the tone for me for the rest of the shooting of that show that I just felt so less than. I felt like such a burden, I felt like such a problem, I felt just so undeserving and so not good enough to be on that show.”