The “humiliating” movies Stanley Tucci hated making: “You have no idea what’s happening”
Cinema’s biggest stars have the luxury of being able to pick and choose their projects, but they occupy the industry’s most rarefied air. Stanley Tucci isn’t exactly living on the breadline, but he still needs to supplement his income with the odd paycheque gig.
He probably doesn’t need to any more, right enough, considering he’s diversified into travelogues and cookbooks, but anyone who isn’t insanely wealthy would probably agree that there’s no such thing as having too much money. However, the downside is that the actor has suffered for his art.
Whenever someone thinks of Tucci’s career, blockbusters shouldn’t be the first thing that comes to mind, unless you happen to be a huge fan of those particular franchises. He’s a character actor, first and foremost, and one that can always be relied on to steal whatever scenes he’s given.
Unfortunately, small-scale independent dramas and incisive character pieces don’t necessarily fund the lifestyle associated with Hollywood, which has forced the Academy Award nominee to swallow his pride, bend the knee, and accept several thankless roles in effects-heavy blockbusters where he’s surrounded by nothing but green screens.
There are a couple of exceptions to the rule, though, with Tucci calling his role in Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger one of the best he’s ever had, and it’s obvious that he was having a blast in the Hunger Games series. As for the rest? Not quite his idea of a fulfilling professional engagement.
If there’s one film that summed up his malaise, it’s Bryan Singer’s turgid Jack the Giant Slayer, which sounds as exasperating to make as it was to watch. “We were all dressed in stupid outfits,” he said, per The Times. “It was pretty funny sitting around in chairs, everybody with little caps on, tight spandex things with little balls all over you. I’m not kidding. It’s so humiliating.”
What made matters worse was the 3D cameras, which he “can’t stand.” He’s got nothing against it as a viewer, but it irritates him as a performer. “It’s not fun,” he sighed. “Nobody will tell you it’s fun.” Even when the third dimension isn’t required, those damned tennis balls have become a thorn in his side.
“You don’t know what you’re doing,” Tucci bemoaned. “You have no idea what’s happening. It’s all happening so fast, and there are guys with tennis balls on big sticks, going, ‘Look over there! Look over there! Be afraid! Be angry! Be sad! Run! Run! Run! I never quite know what I’m doing, but I just do what they say.”
As most actors in his position know, the harsh reality is that those movies tend to pay the most. He may not be a fan of the process, but he would have still known exactly what he was getting himself into when he signed up for not only Captain America, The Hunger Games, and Jack the Giant Slayer, but two Transformers sequels, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, and The Electric State, to name just a few.
