Transcript Stanley Tucci and Friends
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TRANSCRIPT A PINEWOOD DIALOGUE WITH STANLEY TUCCI AND FRIENDS Actor/director Stanley Tucci is one of the most accomplished creative figures in New York film, television, and theater. His films as director include Big Night (1996) and The Impostors (1998), and his memorable performances include Road to Perdition (2002), Winchell (1998), and The Devil Wears Prada (2006). In this informal conversation, Tucci discusses his art and craft with some friends: the chef and restaurateur Mario Batali; actress Hope Davis, who has worked with Tucci on five films; actress Natasha Richardson; and actor Steve Buscemi, who has formed a new company with Tucci, Olive Productions. The conversation was moderated by author Gay Talese. A Pinewood Dialogue with Stanley Tucci and all. You know his many, many great films roles, and Friends moderated by Gay Talese (May 21, he’s a great filmmaker in his own right. Now he is 2008): also Stanley’s business partner; they started a production company called Olive Productions, and DAVID SCHWARTZ: Now it’s time to meet Stanley and we can’t wait to see what they produce. Please his friends, whom I’ll introduce one at a time. First, welcome Steve Buscemi. we’ll start with a man who has turned cooking into his own form of art and performance. A multi- STEVE BUSCEMI: Thank you. (Applause) talented artist who runs a dozen great restaurants, including Esca, which is right around the corner— SCHWARTZ: Natasha Richardson is one of our great but it’s fully booked for tonight, I checked. He’s stage and screen actors. You know her from many written half a dozen books. I told him, “Whatever films: Patty Hearst (1988); The Handmaid’s Tale you do, don’t dress like Gay Talese tonight. Wear (1990); Asylum (2005); last year she had the movie something different.” (Laughter) Here he is, Mario Evening (2007). If you go to the theater a lot, you Batali. also know her incredible stage work on Broadway: her amazing plays include Anna Christie and her MARIO BATALI: Thank you. (Applause) Tony Award-winning role in Cabaret; she was recently in A Streetcar Named Desire as, of course, SCHWARTZ: The actress who has worked with Blanche DuBois. [Museum director Rochelle Slovin] Stanley more than anybody else is our next guest. said at the beginning that we had a great cook Like Stanley, she has moved between independent here; we actually have two great cooks, because films and mainstream movies, from The Daytrippers Natasha Richardson is a serious cook. She is here (1996) to About Schmidt (2002). Her movies with tonight, so please welcome her. Stanley are The Impostors (1998); Joe Gould’s Secret (2000); Kiss of Death (1995); Daytrippers, NATASHA RICHARDSON: (Applause) Can we make and The Hoax (2006), I’m very pleased she’s with one correction? This is a chef; some of us are us tonight. Please welcome Hope Davis. cooks. HOPE DAVIS: Thank you very much. SCHWARTZ: Yes. (Laughter) Gay Talese now, who I’m very pleased agreed to moderate the event SCHWARTZ: It didn’t always used to be that great tonight. The dapper, elegant, great writer and actors were also great directors, but here is observer worked for many years at The New York somebody else who, like Stanley, can really do it Times, in the old building on 43rd Street. Among his many great books is The Kingdom in the Power, TALESE: After fifty parts? which is about The New York Times. His other titles include Honor Thy Father, Thy Neighbor’s Wife; The TUCCI: I’m not kidding; I don’t think it ever changes. Bridge; and recently released, A Writer’s Life. I think every actor can attest to this, that you always There’s a great biography about Gay Talese on his feel—or the business makes you feel—that you’re website, which of course is gaytalese.com; you can only as good as your next job. As your last job. As look at that for more. I’m really pleased that he’s your next job. (Laughter) You’re always searching. with us tonight. Please welcome Gay Talese. One of the reasons you’re always searching is because the business is ever-changing, and you’re GAY TALESE: Thank you. (Applause) ever-changing. So I think probably, for me, the last year has been… maybe for the first time, I’ve found SCHWARTZ: Here he is; I can tell you his wife is a some kind of comfort in the fact that I will keep great cook, and here is the man, Stanley Tucci. working. But there is no doubt that I always, when I finish a job, imagine that it’s going to take a long STANLEY TUCCI: Thank you, thank you. time to get another job. DAVIS: Stanley! DAVIS: I’m remembering the first day that I met Stanley, which was on the set of The Daytrippers, TUCCI: Is it over yet? (Laughter) about fifteen years ago. Do you remember that? We were standing there in our underwear to do our love TALESE: I have the honor of asking the first scene as a couple. question, a question that I hope might also be answered by the other distinguished people that TUCCI: Right… that was comfortable. (Laughter) are before you tonight. It is a question that many of you in this audience might share, that is: when DAVIS: That was funny. We laughed a lot. But I does an actor believe he or she is truly a remember I met you, and we started to chat and professional actor? We’ve seen the you went into a tirade. You said, “I can’t get accomplishments and the versatility of Stanley; we arrested! I— I— I’ll never make it! I— I— I don’t could just as well see this in the other people here. have any money; I— I— I don’t have anything to But when they are young, do they think they’re do! I— I— I don’t know what I’m doing! I’ll never, actors? Are they actors when they are out of work? I never work!” Do you remember this? Do you have read something about Stanley—I think it was in The any recollection? New York Times—where he told this reporter in the middle 1990’s, I believe, that there were times, for TUCCI: No, no; I don’t really remember that. (Davis months, when he didn’t have work. He used to laughs) But I say that every week, so I’m sure I did spend some of his free time pondering his life and say that. (Laughter) looking at great art at the Museum of Modern History [sic]. So I would like to ask, perhaps Stanley DAVIS: You scared the life out of me. first, and others if they wish, when do people recognize themselves as professional actors, as TUCCI: Did I? Well, I wasn’t worried about your opposed to aspiring actors? And just career, I was worried about mine. (Laughter) But it parenthetically, Mario, you might also want to causes great anxiety. I was also trying to get Big answer this because you’re an actor, and working Night (1996) off the ground and it didn’t help, of in all these restaurants are waiters who are not course, that the day that we shot, the camera was waiters but in their heads, are actors between roles. stolen. (Laughter) Well, Stanley, tell us. When did you think you were going to succeed as an actor? Were you DAVIS: The camera was stolen on our first day of eleven? Were you twenty? How old were you? shooting. TUCCI: Well, no. I’m still waiting for it. (Laughter) TUCCI: And so there was no camera. DAVIS: So we just talked forever. TRANSCRIPT: A PINEWOOD DIALOGUE WITH STANLEY TUCCI AND FRIENDS PAGE 2 TUCCI: I’ve always found it very hard to make a DAVIS: Stanley, you don’t rest very much these movie without a camera. (Laughter) It was found days, though. eventually, and the movie was made. But I think that anxiety exists perpetually. Natasha, do you feel TUCCI: No, I don’t want to rest. anxious too? Ever? DAVIS: I mean, you’re not a restful person. RICHARDSON: I feel that this is completely a two part question. The first part is, when did you feel that TUCCI: No, I never have been a restful person. No, you were a professional actor? Well, the first time I no, no. felt I was a professional actress—which I am, by the way, there’s nothing wrong with the feminization of BATALI: Resting is over-rated. the word. (Applause) I’m an actress, not an actor. The first time I felt I was an actress was when I got TALESE: Resting is over-rated, yes. (Laughter) As my first job and somebody was going to pay me to you can attest to. Do you ever rest? act. I felt, “My God! I’m a professional actor, as opposed to an amateur!” My only other job was BATALI: I’m resting right now! (Laughter) working as a waitress at a Caribbean restaurant. When I got my first money in my hand, I thought, TUCCI: You are… you just fell asleep for a minute! “My God! That’s the first money I’ve made!” So that was when I felt, “I’m a professional actress.” But a BATALI: Yes, exactly. I have the ability to fall asleep feeling of “Ooh, I’ve landed. Yeah! Success. I’m at the drop of a hat, in a long elevator ride.