Lorraine Bracco, 70, has had an amazing career with multiple accolades, including an Oscar nomination, but the cruel words from childhood bullies have continued to haunt her.
The Sopranos star, who recently revealed the late James Gandolfini’s reaction to the series finale, wrote about the incident that happened when she was in sixth grade in an essay for the Wall Street Journal.
‘One day, kids on the school bus told me something that stuck with me for life. They said they had voted me the ugliest girl in sixth grade,’ the former ‘tall and gawky kid’ revealed.
‘Can you imagine? I was in shock. It was horrible and devastating — a deep wound,’ the Brooklyn born actress relayed. ‘I went home and sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.’
It was her father who offered words of comfort to the devastated tween.
He ‘sat me on his lap, put his hands on my face and made me look in his eyes. He said, “I don’t care about them. You’re the most beautiful girl in the world to me.”‘
Lorraine Bracco, 70, has had an amazing career with multiple accolades, including an Oscar nomination, but the cruel words from childhood bullies have continued to haunt her; Pictured in New York City in April
She was a beauty in her high school yearbook photo
The Screen Actors Guild award winner said she found school ‘challenging socially,’ but her love of performing in school plays helped provide ‘an expression and an outlet for me.’
After graduating high school, Bracco was signed with Wilhelmina models and moved to Paris where she lived for a decade and was a favorite of designer Jean Paul Gaultier, according to her IMDB profile.
And even though she was booking jobs, the words still remained in the back of her mind.
‘As for that childhood insult, it stuck with me for a long time,’ she told readers.
‘Early in my modeling career, when Revlon offered me a campaign, I said to myself, “I can’t do this. I was the ugliest girl in sixth grade.”‘
After being cast in French films and television shows in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Bracco returned to the US, where she was cast in films such as the thriller Someone to Watch Over Me, and The Dream Team.
Her breakout role came as the wife of the late Ray Liotta’s wife in the 1990 mob drama Goodfellas for which she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination. She later received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her portrayal of therapist Dr. Jennifer Melfi in The Sopranos.
In an essay in the WSJ, Bracco revealed bullies once told her ‘ they had voted me the ugliest girl in sixth grade,’ and those words have ‘stuck with me for life’; Pictured New York City in January
Bracco moved to Paris and worked as a model for a decade and broke into acting. Her breakout role in 1990’s Goodfellas resulted in her receiving a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination
The actress later received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her portrayal of therapist Dr. Jennifer Melfi in The Sopranos.
Bracco is currently starring in the Netflix film Nonnas; seen here with co-star Talia Shire
The currently single Bracco told AARP that after breaking up with former partner Harvey Keitel, 85, after 11 years together, she ‘lost a year of my life to depression.’
‘My advice to anyone going through it is get a good doctor, get diagnosed, and know that pharmacology works — don’t be afraid of it,’ she admonished. ‘The stigma of it stopped me at first. Stupid. And talk therapy is major. You’re worth it, you’re worth having a good day, every day.’
With her life in order and her now movie, Nonnas, doing well on Netflix, the star says she ready to raise the curtain on love again.
‘I believe in love. What do I look for in a man? A sense of humor is extremely important. And I like a guy who’s sure of himself. I’m sure of myself, so I want him to be rock steady.’ she said.
