Stanley Tucci is an award-winning actor and writer who was raised in upstate New York and Florence. In his television series ‘Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy,’ he explores the homeland of his parents, winning over audiences with his passion for food and drink. A social media hit with his at-home cocktails, he is an ambassador for Tanqueray No.TEN gin. He lives in London with his wife, literary agent Felicity Blunt, and their children.
Interview by Sarah Caden
GROWING UP IN AMERICA, THE CHILD OF ITALIAN PARENTS, DID YOU FEEL MORE AMERICAN OR ITALIAN? I felt more Italian, until I went to Italy to live for a time at 12. Then I felt American.
DID YOU ENJOY LIFE IN FLORENCE AFTER LIFE IN UPSTATE NEW YORK? I had grown up in a very sheltered place, in the suburbs of New York, in a small cul de sac. My world was very small, and then moving to Florence, that changed completely. So you either had to adapt, or you suffered. Not that it was an awful thing, but it’s difficult when you’re about to become a teenager and you’re thrust into this whole new world with a whole new language you have to learn. I learned Italian in, like, two months.
DO YOU STILL SPEAK ITALIAN FLUENTLY? I wouldn’t say fluently. There are times when it just flows very easily and other times where I can’t think of the word for chair.
YOUR MOTHER WAS A WRITER AND YOUR FATHER WAS AN ART TEACHER. HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR PARENTS’ INFLUENCE IN YOUR LIFE? It is huge and immeasurable. I wrote about them a lot in my book Taste. One of the reasons I do what I do is because of my parents. The reason I’m interested in art and food is because of my parents. They were both interested in creating things. I think the idea of being a performer was interesting to me because I watched my dad teach. He was a great teacher, and they’re both very funny. I mean, I wasn’t gonna become a lawyer.
WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WOULD GROW UP TO BE? At one point, I wanted to be an architect, but my math skills are, well, they don’t exist.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE ACTING ROLE? Impossible to say, but maybe Nigel in The Devil Wears Prada and I think Tusker in Supernova, which I did with Colin [Firth].
HAS THE SUCCESS YOU’VE ENJOYED JUST BEING YOURSELF, RATHER THAN PLAYING A ROLE, COME AS A SURPRISE TO YOU? Yes. In some ways, it’s great but in some ways, it’s disconcerting. Sometimes it’s not easy. Sometimes it’s hard to get from point A to point B when you’re walking outside. People feel more of a personal connection with you because of the books and the TV show and the cocktails, so they approach you much more than they do because of movies.
“The reason I’m interested in art and food is because of my parents. They were both interested in creating things…”
HAVE YOU REDISCOVERED YOUR ITALIAN SELF THROUGH YOUR FOOD AND TRAVEL TELEVISION SERIES? Without question, yeah. I’ve learned a lot more about who I am and my family history. I’ve learned a lot more about Italy, certainly.
DO YOU FEEL AT HOME THERE? I feel comfortable there, but I don’t know that I feel at home. But I think that’s part of just part of being an actor is that you don’t tend to feel at home anywhere.
DO YOU REGARD LONDON AS HOME NOW? Yes, I do. Because my children are there and my wife is there. I go back to America but I love living in London. The weather doesn’t bother me.
WHY WERE YOU IN IRELAND IN MAY? Because of my partnership with Tanqueray No.TEN. I visited last year and was really happy to be back. I met mixologists Oisin Kelly, Adeline Valdivia and Andy Ferreria, to learn about their bespoke Tanqueray No.TEN serves.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE PEOPLE TO REGARD YOU? As a positive influence.
YOUR FRIENDSHIPS ARE FOR THE MOST PART… Fun.
YOU DEAL WITH A SETBACK… Like anybody. Anger. Disappointment. Blaming at once myself and whoever set me back, even if it was me. I bounce back pretty quickly.
DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE My style is simple and classic.
WHERE IN THE WORLD DO YOU LIKE TO BUY YOUR CLOTHES? The thing is nowadays, let’s face it, is that it’s not like it used to be, when we were, like, ‘Oh, I’m going to go to Italy to get clothes.’ Now, the same shops are everywhere. The world is a mall.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE SHOES? I like a Chelsea boot. Yeah. And I do like a classic brogue. I love Church’s shoes. I think they’re really great and I have a lot of their shoes. I also love this company Slower that makes really beautiful stuff , all made in Italy. They do some shoes, but they also do amazing clothes.
DO YOU USE SKINCARE PRODUCTS? Yes, La Mer, ever since I could afford it. I love it, it’s incredible.
WHAT DOES YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE INCLUDE? A lot. I do floor Pilates, I do weights. I do TRX, ballet class and yoga. I mix them up sometimes with our trainer, Monique Eastwood, who is incredible. We put a tiny gym in our house and Monique joins us online; I have a guy who comes just once a week to do the weights stuff. I work out five or six days a week, no matter where I am. When I travel, I try to stay in hotels with a gym but if not, I bring some dumbbells and a yoga mat and I bring the TRX. It has this thing you can put it over the door, but you have to find the right door – once I was doing it and the door opened and I went flying across the room and barely missed the corner of a desk.
YOU RECENTLY READ? Some Claire Keegan short stories. I’m not saying that because I was in Ireland or because my [literary agent] wife represents her.
WHAT DO YOU LISTEN TO? Jazz.
WHAT IS A HOLIDAY YOU’D LIKE TO REPEAT? I love going to Cornwall.
WHAT DO YOU COOK AT HOME? Everything that’s Italian. My wife will cook other things.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COCKTAIL TO MAKE FOR FRIENDS? A martini.
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU SAY YOU’RE DOING NOTHING? I do crossword puzzles and word games. I play Spelling Bee on the New York Times as soon as I wake up in the morning.
WHAT DOES THE PERFECT WEEKEND INCLUDE? Cooking at home, playing with the kids. Going to the farmers’ market. Painting. That’s it. That’s a good weekend.