No need to worry about fame going to Federico Castelluccio's head. The Italian-born, New Jersey-bred actor, who plays the fiendishly sexy hitman Furio Giunta on HBO's mega hit "The Sopranos," has been waiting for this role all his life.

"I always knew this would happen," said the dark-haired, blue-eyed 37-year-old actor of fanatical reaction to "The Sopranos." "I've known this would happen since I was a kid, so I've prepared myself. Not really externally, but internally, unspoken."

Castelluccio, who was in town last weekend for the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation's annual fund-raiser, said the reality matches the fantasy.

"It's that and more," he said, dressed smartly in a black pinstriped suit with his trademark ponytail neatly tied back. "It's a really wonderful feeling to be recognized for your work."

But this isn't the first taste of acclaim for Castelluccio, who has a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. As a teen, Castelluccio painted a portrait of George Burns, who liked the results so much that the legendary comedian helped Castelluccio launch a successful career as a commercial illustrator.

In the early 1990s, Castelluccio left commercial art to paint on his own. His paintings, largely portraits but recently accentuated by still lifes, have hung in many prestigious galleries and are highly sought by art collectors the world over.

All during that time, Castelluccio pursued acting, appearing in New York plays, summer stock, Shakespearean festivals, soap operas and bit roles in such films as "Crocodile Dundee 2."

Then came Furio. The character was introduced during the second season of "The Sopranos" as a hitman brought from Italy to bridge the Soprano family to the old world. This year, in the series' third season, Castelluccio was hired for 10 of 13 episodes, including the two season-ending shows that begin this Sunday.

Furio is ruthless as a hitman, and Castelluccio has shouldered much criticism about the violence on the show as well as its depiction of Italians.

"A lot of people have come to me and I've asked them a couple of questions about the show and they never could answer," said Castelluccio, who was born in Naples. "They hadn't even bothered to watch the show, but yet they were making judgments about it."

Castelluccio noted that the show contains many examples of Italian-Americans as upstanding citizens, including the psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi (played by Lorraine Bracco), FBI agents and more.

Furio is by no means a sympathetic character, but viewers are drawn to him.

"Furio is intriguing because you get to see him on several different levels," Castelluccio said. "He is loyal to the Soprano family. He would do anything for Tony Soprano. It's just a job to him.

"But at the same time, he's got a great sense of humor, a dark sense of humor. He says some very funny lines at the most tense moments."

Series creator David Chase has written a character that can show a soft side, Castelluccio noted, such as a scene when Furio first came to America in which he is innocently playing with children.

"He's got two sides," Castelluccio said, "very extreme sides."

Playing a hitman with a thick Italian accent isn't harming Castelluccio's career. Faster than Furio can lose his temper, Castelluccio has been fielding offers.

"It's been a boon," said Castelluccio, fresh from Los Angeles casting meetings, "because people who meet me notice immediately that I don't have an accent. Then it dawns on them that I'm an actor and this is a role I play and I'm not really some guy with an accent. So they see more possibilities."

He will be seen in the comedy film "Made" and will appear this summer as a Cuban drug dealer in the play "Crazy Horse Cafe," written by ex-"Sopranos" star Vincent Pastore (Big Pussy).

As all "Soprano" cast members are, Castelluccio is sworn to secrecy about storylines. But he doesn't expect Furio will ever follow his boss's example and spill his guts to Dr. Melfi.

"Furio would never go to a shrink," Castelluccio said resolutely. "He wouldn't know what to do in there. Furio's from the old country, it's a different mentality. People from the old school would never think of going to a shrink."