JOSEPH R GANNASCOLI, who played a closeted gay mobster on THE SOPRANOS, is being sued by the manufacturer of a diet drug. The maker of Stacker 2 filed a lawsuit Thursday (01JUN06), claiming Gannascoli hasn't been doing enough to promote the product after receiving $316,000 (£176,000) from the company over the last 2 1/2 years. According to NVE Pharmaceuticals president ROBERT OCCHIFINTO (corr), "He was very difficult to work with all the time." The 47-year-old actor slams the company's claims, saying they were unhappy with him because he was playing homosexual character VITO SPATAFORE on the show.
He adds, "I begged them to do things, but they wouldn't. They didn't like I was doing the gay thing." Last month (MAY06), Gannascoli signed with another company to endorse a competing diet pill."