SIZE MATTERS Shahi

If you missed the latest Sopranos, stop reading now. Actress Sarah Shahi shocked and titillated (and possibly confused) viewers by scaling James Gandolfini for a scene where her character, Sonya, has sex with Tony Soprano before taking peyote with him—he's mourning the death of his second cousin and employee Christopher Moltisanti (whom he kills in the episode prior to having sex with Sonya). So what was it like for a minx formerly known for lesbian romps on The L-Word to get fake-freak-nasty with Gandolfini, who plays a, let's say, significantly larger, all-male character?

"It was great," Shahi told Radar at the Maxim Hot 100 party Wednesday night in Manhattan. "But love scenes are always awkward to shoot to begin with. It's like a crew of 90 people watching you and you don't know the person, so it's never as romantic and nice as it seems. But he was very respectful and that always makes it easier. As awkward as it was, it was also fun."

How did Gandolfini break the ice? Some gabbagool, perhaps?

"He did something really nice: On my first day of work, he sent me a big bouquet of flowers with a note on it that said 'Don't be nervous, I suck.' That was really really sweet, but I gave him shit about it the next day, saying, 'Why couldn't you bring me Jimmy Choos or something I could have taken back with me on the airplane to L.A.? I can't take flowers!' But he was great."

Photo: Getty Images

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