Stanley Tucci names the three greatest roles of his career: “I am very, very lucky”
For those of us who aren’t Hollywood actors, it’s hard to imagine what the job must be like.
It’s one that seems so full of contradictions, something that is all at once personal, creative, and sacred, but also demanding, scary, and tainted by the pressures of fame and being in the public eye.
Being an actor surely isn’t an easy career to have, with every move scrutinised and any potential misfires blasted by tabloids and social media users, sometimes to detrimental effect, but when it’s good, it’s one of the best experiences around. Making a movie you’re proud of is surely one of the most rewarding feelings, especially if it carries a vital message, and some of us can only dream of being involved in creative projects that are appreciated by so many people.
One actor who isn’t afraid to outline how much he loves his job is Stanley Tucci, who once told Square Mile, “You know, life is good. I am very, very lucky. I love what I do. And there are some things that are incredibly satisfying. Directing movies is fun. Directing a play on Broadway was great fun.”
He’s lucky to have had so many consistent hits under his belt, which even includes an Academy Award nomination for his role in The Lovely Bones, which saw him play a serial killer responsible for murdering the protagonist, Susie, played by 14-year-old Saoirse Ronan. The movie, directed by Peter Jackson, is certainly a challenging watch, but it proved to be one of the most rewarding roles of Tucci’s career, of which he is incredibly proud.
“The Lovely Bones was a very interesting experience, but the subject matter was so difficult that it was probably the hardest thing I have ever done,” he explained. Set in the 1970s, Ronan’s character watches down from heaven following her death, eventually finding justice while karma comes for her killer, and it involved Tucci researching serial killers to prepare for his performance, with the role certainly proving a test to get into the mindset for.
On a lighter note, however, he cites two comedies as some of his favourite movies he has been a part of, outlining that “Julie & Julia and The Devil Wears Prada were amazing experiences, too”. Directed by Nora Ephron, the former saw Meryl Streep and Amy Adams team up for a heartwarming food-themed tale, with Streep playing famous chef Julia Child while Adams played Julie Powell, who tries to cook over 500 of Child’s recipes in her tiny apartment several decades later, evoking a generational gastronomic tie.
Tucci played Paul Child, the husband of Streep’s character, a diplomat who was accused of ‘Un-American’ behaviour during the era of McCarthyism, and while it wasn’t nearly as intense as The Lovely Bones, he loved getting to play the part alongside Streep. Of course, this wasn’t the first time they’d worked together, with The Devil Wears Prada emerging just a few years before, which saw her turn as the terrifying Miranda Priestley, an Anna Wintour-esque fashion magazine mogul, while Tucci played the magazine’s art director, who assists Anne Hathaway’s Andy with fitting into the stylish yet cutthroat fashion publishing world.
Following his role in the film, he actually struggled to find work, admitting to Vanity Fair, “After The Devil Wears Prada, I couldn’t get a job, and I didn’t quite understand that, but that’s just the way it was. So I went and did stuff that I didn’t necessarily want to do, but I did it.” In spite of this, he still holds the project as one of his favourites, and he’s set to return for the upcoming sequel, much to public delight.
