That significant screen royalty of the caliber of Stanley Tucci still has the courage and energy to reach outside of himself on new projects is proof enough that Tinseltown isn’t completely lost.
Hollywood has endured a fair barrage of criticism over the past year or so, much of it justified, but there are indications that it’s reconnecting with a more soulful space. Tucci is a man hovering over the operating table.
Recent movie Supernova, a touching tale of two gay men whose road trip is interrupted and intercepted by everyday things, sensational stories, and the hovering specter of dementia didn’t get the widespread coverage it deserved. Still, Tucci is undoubtedly at a point in his career where embracing new challenges appears to be the norm. His work on the small screen recently in Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy has seen him explore his Italian heritage both in terms of the places that mean so much to him and the food he eats along the way. His Netflix series was impeccably received, and the actor admits to learning so much himself while educating viewers on the intricacies of his homeland.
“Italy to me is my father and my mother, who were both immigrants to the U.S., of course,” he says. “I always had this thing where I think when you land in a new country, you have to respect that country and take on its traditions, heritage, and culture. After all, we’re all combinations of different generations, where those people originated from.
“I think being an Italian in America is probably the easiest gig I could have anyway, but I think it was really important for me to pursue my Italian heritage and to bring as much of that forward into my life as I could.”
Tucci returns to the big screen in 2022 with Whitney Houston’s biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, in which he plays legendary record producer Clive Davis.
STRIPLV: Were you disappointed that Supernova wasn’t picked up more? TUCCI: Not really. It was never really designed for that. We always knew it would be a beautiful story that would play itself out really naturally. There are some movies you look at, and you know you are going to have to work really hard to get behind the story, or you know even when the movie is in the can that half the people who watch it won’t like it. With Supernova, I had no such doubts. There was such a smoothness to it, helped in no small part by working opposite Colin (Firth), an actor who makes even the most difficult things appear simple. In total, it was a great experience. STRIPLV: Tell us about the Whitney project. TUCCI: Well, I mean, what an honor. What an incredible story to tell, and probably one that should have been told before now. I think the circumstances behind someone’s life ending will always affect how quickly people want to rewatch the horror. On this note, I believe enough time has passed that we can put the sadness to one side and instead celebrate the talent and the inspiration that this incredible person gave to literally billions of people back then, just as it is now. Whitney, Michael Jackson, Prince, we have gone through a phase of losing some true icons, but I feel the time is right now to look back and to begin to celebrate them. STRIPLV: You’ve spoken at length about the dilution of culture in recent years, and it is something you’re quite passionate about. TUCCI: I think you have to be careful how you talk about things like that. I know there is a fear that our heritage and traditions are potentially being swept away either because people are trying to change history or because of mass immigration we are losing the intensity of who we are, but this has been going on since the year dot; just as cultural centers of our great cities, so that could be Rome, Milan, and Florence have been changing and evolving over time. Perhaps this has been sped up by the use of social media, where suddenly the world becomes a much smaller place and, almost inadvertently, our cultures begin to merge because these opinions that used to be separate and different and defined by geography are now in front of us on computer screens and tablets and mobile phones. We are all becoming the same thing. I think that is the fear. Of course, the antidote to that is to travel and to actually discover the individuality that still lives in so many of these places that we admire. I think if you need any evidence of that, then Italy is probably the place you should visit. And it’s not just in the rural areas where you can detect that originality, innocence, and wholesomeness that we will crave from our culture; you can still see it in cities. In the big expressions of national pride, in the food, of course, certainly in the social and drinking cultures, but also on the pathways and in the alleyways and spread across the rooftops of these incredible places. What I’m saying is I don’t think people need to worry about this dilution of what’s around them because it is still there. You just need to reach out and find it.
STRIPLV: Would you agree that your career has been built on solid success and occasional leftfield choices? TUCCI: Well, that’s the Italian in me. (Laughs) We have a reputation for spontaneity but just as much a desire for order and organization. That was certainly the case when I was growing up. When it came to what we ate on what day, you knew exactly what was for dinner, and there was nothing that was going to change that. For instance, on a Sunday, it was always going to be pasta and seafood, with shrimp or something like that. On another day, my grandmother would make meatballs, and always the same way. They were never put on the plate, and it was never spaghetti. But the day after, you knew exactly what was going to be in your sandwiches at school, more meatballs. And that was a sort of structure that we lived by. It’s not uncommon in Italian households for food to really drive so much of what people do and how they organize their weeks. As for other aspects of the Italian temperament, the drama, well, I am an actor. I am only ever going to say that is a fantastic quality to have. STRIPLV: You talk about Italy a lot, and obviously, your heritage means a tremendous amount to you. How much do you think the country has shaped you? TUCCI: Of course, Italy to me is my father and my mother, who were both immigrants, of course. I always had this thing where I think when you land in a new country, you have to respect that country and take on its traditions, heritage, and culture. At the same time, any nation is formed through its people. We’re all combinations of different generations, where those people originated from. I think being an Italian in America is probably the easiest gig I could have anyway. There’s so much Italian culture seeped into the fabric of U.S. life, and it is a celebration here, so I know my parents were made to feel welcome and, more than that, were encouraged to express their own history rather than feel it was repressed in some way. And I think it was really important for me to pursue my Italian heritage and to bring as much of that forward into my life as I could. So while I was born in New York, obviously, I’ve had a lot of time in Italy. In fact, I lived there for a year, in Florence back at the start of the 1970s. STRIPLV: Does the media accurately portray the Italy that you know and love? TUCCI: I think what Italians understand of Italy is ultimately very different from what tourists understand, although visually, it probably comes across as the same thing. And by that, I mean through food, through wine, through culture, the natural environment, and obviously the beauty of the country. These are common things that we can all tap into and share. I think what really sets tourists apart from natives when it comes to Italy is, as you would expect, the language and the customs. It’s the humor, the passion, and the opinions that we subconsciously form. To be Italian, or to have Italian heritage, is really a state of mind, in the same way as would be being British or French or Dutch or anything else. It’s a very special way to be, and I know it makes Italians proud. STRIPLV: When we think of Italy, we think of food. Is that fair? TUCCI: I think that’s a really big part of it, of course. Growing up in America, my parents, grandparents, and relatives certainly embraced the new brand of cuisine that were laid out in front of them, but at the same time, there was an absolute focus on all of the solid food standards that create the real essence of Italy. My parents and grandparents, well, they were really amazing cooks, and it wasn’t that kind of heavy sort of Italian American cooking. It was real Italian cooking, and there was a real kind of delicacy to it. So this food was just huge. Going to my grandmother’s on a Sunday was always a really big thing, and it was all about food when I think about it. STRIPLV: What are your favorite parts of Italy? TUCCI: I think many people will often talk about the East and West coasts simply because you have such spectacular coastal scenery that just merges in with these wonderful green expanses. From the Amalfi coast, you can go inland and find some of the most untouched and precious rural areas in the whole of the country. On the other side, in places such as Puglia, you have rolling hills and sometimes an understated appreciation of the wine industry. Indeed I think I’m right in saying the Puglia region produces as much wine on an annual basis as does the whole of Germany. If I had to name my favorite part of Italy, however, I would probably head further North, where you get such spectacular variation between flat areas at mountains. Obviously, I’m talking there about the Alps and the Apennines; but at the same time an appreciation of the seasons and the greater feeling of Europe and its influences and qualities. So as a whole, I think I would favor the North, but you’d struggle to get me to name a part of Italy I didn’t think was worth visiting. STRIPLV: Finally, going back to your career, people talk about you being a great example of someone who has forged his way with passion and courage, without ever getting a leg-up. TUCCI: Well, that’s very kind. I think we’ve all had a helping hand from time to time, but what I will say is my parents didn’t have a lot of money. My dad was a schoolteacher making no money. My mom worked in the office. I think we were the example that you don’t need to have a lot in order to produce a lot. Every night, for instance, you had this kind of amazing food, and my mother was very progressive too. She was my introduction to Julia Child, for example. I watched her watch Julia Child when I was young and loved it. She would then make paella, and it was delicious; or crepes with chicken and bechamel, or something like that, and it was a really, really wonderful way to grow up. I mean, the lunches that I brought to school were just incredible, staggering. I ate enough for ten men. I was very skinny. My metabolism was through the roof. STRIPLV: You seem comfortable taking time away from film to dedicate to travel, culture, and exploring your ancestry. TUCCI: I think first and foremost I am an actor, and I’m always going to be that, but if the opportunity comes along to take on different projects, particularly when they’re celebrating who I am or where I’ve come from, or where I’m going to, then it’s an absolute pleasure to undertake these. (Tucci’s wife) Fi always tells me I’m working too hard or taking on too much, but the truth is I would only ever do something if it gave me great pleasure, and I guess I’m now at the point of my life or I can make those kinds of decisions without having to worry about taking a job just to pay the bills. I think I’m much more in the mindset these days to educate.