Stanley Tucci on ‘Supernova,’ Italy and the Movie He Regrets
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Many people would love the chance to climb into an RV and drive around the English countryside with Colin Firth for weeks. For Stanley Tucci, it was indeed fun — but also challenging. The two actors play longtime lovers on a final road trip in “Supernova,” which arrives on demand Feb. 12. Tusker (Tucci) is entering the stages of dementia, leaving Sam (Firth) to struggle with his care as they travel to visit friends and family, likely for the last time.
Written and directed by Harry Macqueen, “Supernova” is an independent film shot in England when the weather was less than desirable. “I don’t mind the cold if it’s snowing, but it’s that English Winter,” Tucci said. “It’s the wettest. There is one town not far from where we were, which is the wettest place in England, if you can imagine such a thing.”
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Still, Tucci said the enjoyment outweighed the negative, thanks to “making a beautiful movie” with one of his best friends. Tucci has known Firth since they appeared in the 2001 HBO movie “Conspiracy,” and it was Tucci who slipped Firth the script for “Supernova” – and then agreed to switch roles with him after having originally been cast as Sam.
In this week’s Awards Circuit Podcast, Tucci talks about making “Supernova,” his friendship with Firth and his upcoming CNN show “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.” He also discusses his long career, including his most challenging roles and the films he’s most recognized for. Listen below!
Of course, Tucci can’t help but be a little self-deprecating when asked which films people ask him about the most. “Every now and then, someone will come up to me and say they love the second movie I made, which was called ‘The Imposters,’” Tucci said. “They say, ‘It’s my favorite movie of all time.’ And then I accuse them having escaped from an asylum.” (“The Imposters” is far from a disaster, but Tucci says he wishes he hadn’t directed it – “then I think it would have been a really good movie.”)
He is equally frank when discussing how, in a career as varied as his, films don’t always turn out the way one would hope. “You never know,” he said. “It comes out and it’s like, ‘They didn’t work, did it?’”
Still with a resume that includes films like “Big Night,” “The Hunger Games,” “Julie and Julia” and an Oscar-nominated turn in “The Lovely Bones,” Tucci’s career has featured more hits than misses. He’s one of those actors who is always a standout, and if there’s one film he hopes people will check out, it’s “Blind Date,” a 2007 drama he co-wrote, directed and stars in opposite Patricia Clarkson.
“It’s my favorite film,” he said. “It’s very dark. I mean, it’s super sad. But I love it. I mean, all the movies that I make myself are really sort of about the same thing. They’re about identity in a way. And the role of how the artist fits into society and an art.”
Also on this week’s podcast, Katherine Waterston discusses her role in Mona Fastvold’s latest, “The World to Come.” The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year and just played Sundance, features Waterston as Abigail, a woman living an isolated life with her husband (Casey Affleck) on the East Coast frontier in the 1800s. Her life changes when she begins a relationship with her new neighbor Tally (Vanessa Kirby). The film goes into limited release Feb. 12 and hits video on demand on March 2.
But first, our Awards Circuit roundtable looks at the SAG Awards and Critics’ Choice Awards nominations and what it means for an ever-changing race.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jenelle Riley, Jazz Tangcay and Michael Schneider (who produces), is your one-stop listen for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each week “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives; discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines; and much, much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts. New episodes post every Thursday.
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