"I always knew that someday I'd make the transition; I just didn't know when," explains the Naples, Italy, native who stars as Furio, one of Tony Soprano's (James Gandolfini) most loyal and merciless hitmen on the HBO megahit The Sopranos.

Federico Castelluccio is describing his crossover from painter to actor, which transpired during his senior year of college at the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1986.  Once out of school, Castelluccio filled his days pursuing his two life's passions - painting and theater.

"I've been painting even before I came into this life," says Castelluccio, his voice filled with nostalgia.  "I was always very visual as a child.  I can remember being in Italy when I was 2 or 3 years old and remembering which way the light was coming into the rooms and how the doorknobs were shaped...I've been a painter even before I started painting," he explains.

Determined to utilize his versatility in the fine arts to become a professional actor, he secured roles in various plays and appeared as an extra in Crocodile Dundee II.  Later he went on to make appearances on the soap operas Guiding Light and As the World Turns.

And then it happened.  Castelluccio, whose busy schedule didn't allow for watching much television, happened to catch the coming attractions for The Sopranos while channel surfing and became completely enthralled.  "The trailers and promos looked really amazing, like something I'd never seen before.  I saw the first episode and said, 'I have to call my agent in the morning.  Somehow, I have to get an audition for the show.  It's just so great!'"  Eager to get his foot in the door, Castelluccio originally was brought in to audition for the part of New York boss Johnny Sac, a role for which he knew he wasn't right.  Months later, however, when the role of Tony's imported "enforcer" Furio was introduced to him, the brawny, 6-foot-1-inch, 36-year-old was convinced the role was for him.  After several grueling auditions with directors, producers and cast members, Castelluccio's phone rang at his home studio.  It was the wardrobe department asking for his size - the part was his.

Castelluccio recalls his excitement that day.  "I was blown away, no pun intended," he jokes.  "I was thrilled.  I knew this was cutting-edge television.  It is changing TV as we know it.  I really wanted to work with creator David Chase and brilliant actors like Gandolfini and Nancy Marchand [Tony's mother Livia]."

Although he never got the chance to do a scene with Marchand, Castelluccio got to know her on the set and visited her in the hospital, along with castmate and long time friend Michael Imperioli (Tony's nephew Christopher), before she passed away in real life and her character died in the show.

Furio made his debut in the second season of The Sopranos during Tony's "business trip" to Italy.  Discouraged by a recent trend of "rats" gnawing at his circle, Tony felt he needed to turn to the old country and bring back someone who possessed the kind of loyalty that the old-school Mafia so highly esteemed.  "That's the way he looks at Furio, as the loyal soldier," explains Castelluccio.  To be loyal to Tony requires attributes of brutality, cruelty and severity - none of which Castelluccio possesses in the real world, but all of which he skillfully masters in the onscreen world of the New Jersey mob.  "As an actor you want to play roles that are absolutely diverse from your original personality.  That's the challenge - to try to find that character and be as believable as possible."  Castelluccio has no doubt found his character.  Now when people approach him to say, "You are so mean," Castelluccio smiles and responds, "Thank you very much.  I appreciate the compliment."  To be fair, Furio does have a lighter side to him.  His casual, off-the-cuff, comical remarks and gestures add to the dark appeal of his character.  As for the commentary from fans on the sex appeal Federico brings to the character, he responds laughing awkwardly, "I don't know about that.  I'm just doing my job.  It's flattering."

The attention and admiration Castelluccio enjoyed from fans and peers alike during the show's second season (Michael J. Fox went out of his way at last year's Screen Actors Guild Awards to tell him how much he loved his work) has turned Furio into a regular for the highly anticipated third season, which is set to premiere March 4.  Despite the fact that several new characters will be added and the show is only an hour long, Furio will have scenes in 10 of the 13 new episodes, making him a more permanent fixture on The Sopranos this year.

If you can't get enough of the talented Castelluccio watching The Sopranos, you can catch him in the recently released Jon Favreau film Made.  He has also been reading scripts for other upcoming films in which he is interested, so be on the lookout for the hitman who's turning heads!