The Emmy-nominated star, Dominic Chianese, who played Corrado 'Uncle Junior' Soprano for six seasons, revealed that he initially thought the series was a comedy after reading the script.

Chianese, 94, told PEOPLE exclusively that when he first auditioned for The Sopranos, he didn't realize the series had a more serious tone. "It was so way out," he said. "The scene dealt with me telling my sister-in-law, 'We're going to have to kill your son, my nephew,' and I thought it was a comedy. I didn't know."

Chianese, who was familiar with mob tales, having already starred in The Godfather Part II, said something about The Sopranos felt different. "I said, 'This is crazy, but this must be a comedy,'" he recalled. "But I realized it wasn't a comedy, and it was about the mafia. It was so way out, so I just read the scene like it was a comedy, and [Sopranos creator] David Chase giggled, and he said, 'Can you come back tomorrow?' I came back the next day. They gave me the job."

From Comedy to Emmy Nominations

For the next seven years, Chianese portrayed Corrado 'Uncle Junior" Soprano on the iconic HBO series, earning two Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actor. "They couldn't find an Uncle Junior, because they needed an American Italian of a certain age, and I was already 68 years old in 1999, so I was old enough to play an older man," he explained.

Chianese, who was born in the Bronx, said that the character was easy to play because of his background. "But the character was so easy in a way, because being from the Bronx, I heard the patois, the dialect, all that stuff came easy … I incorporated that in Uncle Junior, who was really mean and stingy, but there was a certain aspect that made him funny to people."

From $3,500 to a Tenfold Increase

In the early days of the show, Chianese earned $3,500 an episode, but that changed after series star James Gandolfini argued for pay raises. "It was the first time I made money in my life," he said, revealing his first significant purchase was a $1,600 Ramírez guitar. He now owns four guitars.

"Money is important. It's a great tool. I suffered from a lack of it for a long time, but I never gave up, and I think my real message is really that if you stay long enough, the opportunity may come, and then you got to be ready for it," he said. "I was ready for it."

Upcoming Live Theater Event

Chianese is set to star in a live theater event in N.Y.C., Dominic Chianese: One Night Only, at New York City's Town Hall on June 30.

Read more about Chase Rice's heartfelt moment with Taylor Swift, Justin Tucker's suspension, and Ashanti and Nelly's past relationship.