By E.C. Gladstone, Photographs: Steve Erle

amie-Lynn needs a hug. That's not just wishful thinking on my part. You can hear it in her voice. Even though Sigler, chilling at her Manhattan loft, is charming and cheerful, there's an unmistakably hoarse edge to her Long Island accent, and more than a bit of nervous chattering for someone who describes herself as "normally not conversational." But that's understandable. After all, it just so happens that I've caught her on a particularly momentous day of her life: Today was her last day shooting The Sopranos.

"I definitely shed my share of tears today," says the actress, who has played Tony Soprano's daughter, Meadow, for seven seasons over the past eight-and-ahalf years. "It still doesn't feel real."

Sigler reveals that her last shot was "the kind of scene we've always done," with the Sopranos gathered around the dinner table as they have many times in the past. "It sort of felt like it came full circle," she says, "which in a way made it more emotional."

Afterwards, the cast and crew—including series creator David Chase, who was directing the last episode, the first time he had done so since the pilot—gave her a standing ovation and brought out flowers, champagne and a cake. Sigler was the first of the main characters to finish.

"For the past few weeks, I've gone through an array of emotions," Jamie-Lynn says, "but for the most part it has been reflective—appreciating what I got to be a part of for so long. To take such a great role and take a real journey with her, from childhood to young adulthood, is very rare."

Sigler, who turns 26 this month, explains that in a very real sense, The Sopranos does feel like family for her. "It's pretty much all of my formative years with these people on this show. I've been through a lot of ups and downs with them, and they've supported me through so much."

Though Jamie-Lynn unsurprisingly has nothing but great things to say about all her castmates, she reserves special mention for her television parents, James Gandolfini (Tony) and Edie Falco (Carmela).

"I wrote both Jim and Edie long letters, and gave them to them today. I've learned so much from them. I used to think it was because I was a kid and they were supporting me. But as I've gotten older and seen them work with other people, I realize that's just the kind of actors they are. They're very generous. Even when we were doing the stuff with Jim in a coma—when he was lying there like a corpse—you feel like you're acting with the best. I had this scene where Meadow reads him a poem, and after they said, 'Cut,' I turned to one of the crew and said, 'He gives you so much, even when he's just lying there!'"

Gandolfini is happy to return the compliment.

"Not only has she grown into an incredible actress, but I have also seen her mature into a great person," he says. "I am proud to have worked with her for all these years."

As for her TV brother, A.J., "Robert Iler has become one of my bestest friends in the world," Sigler says. "I speak to him every day, even if we're not working. When I was hugging everybody and giving individual good-byes, I hugged Robert, and even though we said, ‘I'll talk to you in an hour,' it still felt really difficult. Because, at least for a long time, none of us are going to be working together. That's the hard part. It's not like Robert and I could do a project and you wouldn't think, Meadow and A.J."

Continues Sigler, "I grew up on the show. I was 16 when we shot the pilot. I had never been on a real film set before; I had never taken professional acting training. Everything was brand-new to me ..."

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