'Sopranos' actor tackles new holiday film of Albom work

Most television fans best know Emmy winner Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti, the hotheaded young mobster who was brutally whacked by Tony (James Gandolfini) shortly before "The Sopranos" ended its critically lauded run earlier this year.

But with the landmark crime drama over, Imperioli, 41, is looking to expand his resume with new roles and varied characters. Next year, he'll appear in feature film "The Lovely Bones." And Sunday he returns to prime time as the main protagonist in "Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom's For One More Day" (9 p.m., ABC).

With shades of "It's a Wonderful Life," the movie has Imperioli playing Chick Benetto, a boozing, washed-up baseball player whose thoughts of suicide are interrupted by a magical visit from his mother's ghost (Ellen Burstyn), who shows him the error of his ways.

Also appearing in the film is Imperioli's 7-year-old son, Vadim, who plays Chick in childhood flashbacks.

Imperioli talks about the film and life after "The Sopranos."

Q: What do you like about this character?

A: I like playing people for whom the stakes are very high; people who are struggling with something in their lives. This is a guy who never quite lived up to who he wanted to be. He had a taste of his dream (a short stint in the majors), but it died on the vine when he was very young. And because it died, he can't accept himself and he gets lost in alcohol. It's a very honest, relatable story and, hopefully, viewers will feel compassion for him.

Q: How fun was it watching your son make his screen debut?

A: I was a very proud dad. The only other real acting he had done was in a play about a year and half ago that my wife and I produced. He has great instincts.

Q: How was it getting out on the field and playing a major-leaguer?

A: That wasn't something that came very easy for me. I didn't play much baseball when I was a little kid.

Q: Chick was supposed to have played ball in the early '70s when major-leaguers had the long hair and mustaches. How weird was that transformation?

A: Very weird, but we combed through photos of the times and decided that the shaggy look is what we wanted. It was a very different time for men's grooming. Today, guys are waxing their shoulders and plucking their eyebrows. Back then, it was the more hair, the better.

Q: How was working with Ellen Burstyn?

A: She's just so impressive. She's a very smart woman, who makes intelligent choices. She's emotionally honest. There are no false moments with her.

Q: Your character in the film is rather tragic partially because he will never again experience that glorious high that came with playing big league baseball. Do you ever find yourself wondering if you'll experience anything so culturally powerful as "The Sopranos" ?

A: I realize that could be a once-in-lifetime kind of thing, but I'm pretty good at moving on and trying new things. I don't have to be in the Top 10 to be happy.

Q: The "Sopranos" finale got much attention, but one memorable moment of the last season is when Tony suffocated you. Is that the way you wanted to go out?

A: I was totally on board. I thought it was a great way to go out; the fact that Tony was like a father figure to me and I was like his wayward son. And through the nature of what we (the characters) do, this brutal, awful thing happens between them. It was somehow fitting.