Last year on HBO's The Sopranos, Tony and Carmela's marriage went down la toletta. In Season 5, which kicks off March 7, the Italian-American marital feud only gets worse. For the recently divorced James Gandolfini, playing those gut-wrenching scenes can take a toll.

"Having gone through something similar personally, [it] was a little difficult to have to dredge those things up sometimes," he told reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour in Hollywood. "Especially if you're acting with someone like Edie Falco, it's just going to take you to places that you haven't been before. Sometimes, it was hard. It was very difficult on some of those days to do some of those things, and to continue on into it."

Since the Sopranos cast has already shot this season, that means they've only got Season 6 — just 10 more episodes — left to shoot. Is the beleaguered TV mobster finally ready to quit "this thing of ours"? "I'm not ready to say goodbye to the character," Gandolfini said with a wink, "but I'm not going to miss him. Does that make sense? I want to end this the right way, and I know that [creator David Chase] has something in mind.

"I trust him completely, so he said [we need] 10 more episodes in the sixth year, and I said, 'Fine. I will do everything I can. But when it's over the right way, I'll see you later.' "