Denise Borino Quinn, not for nothing, is one person every fan of the show, envies.   On July 23, 2000, Denise and her friend were one of the 15000 people who descended upon the town of Harrison, New Jersey for the open casting call held by The Sopranos.    She didn't have much hope that she'd be picked, and basically ended up there to support here friend and watch the antics of the crowd, who patiently waited in line for hours, hoping for a chance to score a role on the HBO show..    Denise got that call that everyone hoped for, and was cast as Johnny Sack's wife, Ginny.    Recently married, I got to ask her a couple of questions.

When is your birthday? 

January 6th

Is there a email address where fans can contact you?

Yes, Denise@sopranosuessightings.com

Tell us a little about where you grew up and your background.  
Where did you grow up?

I grew up mostly in Roseland, New Jersey (though the first couple
of years we lived in Belleville, New Jersey) with my parents (Kenny
and Trish) and my 2 younger brothers (Christopher and Vincent). 
Roseland was and still is a great little town to raise a family in.  I
have a lot of great memories of growing up in Roseland, there was
always a ton of kids in our neighborhood.  Both my parents were very
involved with us kids between baseball, football, cheerleading, etc, so
it’s pretty safe to say that I come from a very close knit Italian family. 

As a matter of fact, we all gather at my parents’ for Sunday dinner
which now includes my two sister-in-laws Lori and Erin, my husband
Luke and my four nieces Alexa, Alyssa, Christa and Cassie. 

Tell us a little about your educational background.

I went to West Essex Senior and Junior High School in North Caldwell
(same school that David Chase went to).  I also have a degree from
Dover Business College and did a couple of semesters at Morris County College.

Tell us something that people don’t know about you?

I can be really shy at times and I’m extremely sensitive.  My husband says
I can cry at the drop of a hat and I hate to admit, but he’s right.  I’m also very
stubborn.  Once I have my mind set on something, there’s no changing it! 
My Mom says I’ve been that way since I was two.

Are you of Italian decent?

Oh yeah!

You were one of those very, very special people picked at the open audition
for The Sopranos held in Harrison New Jersey.    Had you planned on auditioning?

Actually I had no intention of going to the open audition and that was only
because it was advertised all over the newspapers and radio and I knew it
was gonna be totally nuts, but my best friend (since elementary school) Maria
Galasso actually talked me into going and to this day, I’m so glad that she did!

What was it like to be there?

It was really a lot of fun!  We met a lot of great people not just from the tri-state
area but all over and by the end of the day, people were calling me the “stoop girl”
cause every time the line would stop moving I would sit my butt down on somebody’s
stoop and relax.  I have to admit people got very ingenious……one guy was running
around with a Polaroid camera taking a headshot for you for $5 bucks a pop and
another guy and his daughter were selling water, coffee and bagels from a wagon. 

How did you feel when you found out you had been picked?

I think I was in total shock when I got the call!  I lot was going on right around then,
we had just buried my grandmother so my mind was not focused on whether or not I
had gotten the part but when that call did come, I totally freaked out!  My father must
have called all our relatives that night!  To this day I still can’t believe this happened to me.

Did they pick you right off the bat or did you have to “audition” after being picked?

I had to audition which I thought was pretty cool but that’s probably because I had
never done something like this before so for me it was all new and exciting!

Have you done any other acting jobs?

No

What types of roles on the show do you find the most challenging?

I think roles where you have a very intense moment;  for instance when Johnny caught
Ginny in the basement with the box of goodies was extremely intense for them since
one minute they’re yelling at each other and the next they’re crying and hugging on the
floor of the basement.

What other unusual jobs, have you held in the past?

I don’t think any unless you count when I was sixteen and I worked at Burger King
slinging fries which what teenager hasn’t worked in a fast food joint!

Do you have any pets?

I have a cat named Harley who now lives with my parents in Roseland.  But Luke 
and I have 3 Oscar fish (Whitie, Tiger and Tigger) and a Japanese Fighting Fish named
Moby.

What acting role would you consider a dream come true?

I never really thought about it but I guess for someone to offer me a sitcom.

Do you use the internet?

Constantly

What are your favorite websites?

NJ.com (need to get my North Jersey news now that I live in South Jersey)

Yours of course, I love to see where you’ve been and what’s going on

What is your favorite show?

Of course "The Sopranos" and all the "Law and Orders"

What hobbies do you pursue in your free time?

Free time, what’s that!  Usually when I do have any down time, I love to cook and read.

If you were deserted on a desert island, and could only take on book with you and one music compact disk, what would your choices be?

Paradise City by Lorenzo Carcaterra and The Rising by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (love that CD to death)!

What Charities are you involved with?

Anything to do with Juvenile Diabetes – my youngest brother Vincent has been a diabetic since he was 5.

Whom do you credit with helping your career? (Or did you have a mentor?)

Definitely my mentor would have to be Vince Curatola he has helped me more than he possibly knows.  He’s given me great advice and walked me through the process which has definitely been a lot of help and I love him for it!

What is in your future, besides winning the lottery?

Hopefully starting a family and just continuing to be happy with life.

What is the most important thing, you want to be remembered by?

I guess I want to be remembered for always being genuinely nice to people and being able to put a smile on their face.  Just before my husband Luke’s sister Theresa passed away, Luke had brought me over to her house to meet her and Luke said he hadn’t seen his sister smile like that in months so for me knowing that I brought a little bit of happiness into his sister’s life means the world to me!

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