{"id":32373,"date":"2026-08-08T11:48:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=32373"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:48:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:48:24","slug":"stanley-tucci-on-why-his-nat-geo-italy-show-is-moving-to-the-uk-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=32373","title":{"rendered":"Stanley Tucci on Why His Nat Geo Italy Show Is Moving to the UK Next"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tItaly remains <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/stanley-tucci\/\" id=\"auto-tag_stanley-tucci\" data-tag=\"stanley-tucci\">Stanley Tucci<\/a>\u2018s first love. But a man can travel, right? After winning three <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/emmys\/\" id=\"auto-tag_emmys\" data-tag=\"emmys\">Emmys<\/a> for CNN\u2019s \u201cStanley Tucci: Searching for Italy,\u201d followed by two nominations (including this year) for Nat Geo\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/tucci-in-italy\/\" id=\"auto-tag_tucci-in-italy\" data-tag=\"tucci-in-italy\">Tucci in Italy<\/a>,\u201d the star is on the move. Tucci tells <em>Variety<\/em>\u2018s <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/awards-circuit-podcast\/\" id=\"auto-tag_awards-circuit-podcast\" data-tag=\"awards-circuit-podcast\">Awards Circuit Podcast<\/a> that he\u2019s currently filming his new season in the United Kingdom, where he lives full time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cI wanted to do the U.K. because I just feel like there\u2019s so much here,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve been here for almost 15 years now, and London was just voted the best food destination in the world. But I\u2019m not just talking about fancy restaurants and all that. I\u2019m talking about the U.K. as a whole. I think that the produce that\u2019s here \u2014 the seafood that\u2019s here, the meat that\u2019s here, the devoted people like these fishermen or lobstermen, or a guy who raises pigs that will be like the best pork you\u2019ll ever eat \u2014 that kind of stuff is amazing. And then, really amazing chefs that are devoted to farm to table or farm to fork, I guess is the new expression.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tHaving now done travel shows for a while, Tucci says he considers it \u201ca great honor to meet so many of these people, because they\u2019re just extraordinary. Their devotion to what they do. Amazing chefs and home cooks alike, farmers, cheese makers. I mean, their whole life is invested into this one thing. This singular focus is really so impressive to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tTucci is once again nominated as executive producer and host of \u201cTucci in Italy,\u201d nominated for outstanding hosted nonfiction series or special. He talks to the Awards Circuit Podcast about what it was like to become a host, the skills he has developed in interviewing everyday people, and whether he\u2019s OK with us calling him \u201cThe Tooch.\u201d He also takes our 10 Questions quiz, and looks back at his first time in the pages of <em>Variety.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tBut first, on the Roundtable, Gold Derby editor-in-chief Debra Birnbaum joins us to give her takes on the Emmy race, including how \u201cWidow\u2019s Bay\u201d has become the comedy front-runner. Listen below!<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cTucci in Italy\u201d comes at an interesting time for Tucci, who remains busy in front of the camera as well \u2014 including this year\u2019s \u201cThe Devil Wears Prada 2.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m really happy about having a lot to do, and yet at the same time, at the age of almost 66, I think, \u2018how long can I do this?\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s a part of me that wants to spend more time at home, and so I\u2019m trying to orchestrate things so that I can do that without compromising my career. Because there are still things I want to do, stories I want to tell, movies I want to make, plays I want to direct. It\u2019s finding that correct balance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tHosting a travel show didn\u2019t seem like part of the plan, but Tucci notes that he first came up with the idea of traveling through Italy and breaking it down by region about 20 years ago. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cI\u2019d never seen a show like that,\u201d he says. \u201cI brought it up to a few people, and everyone looked at me like I was crazy. And then six or seven years ago, CNN came to me and said, \u2018Do you have any ideas for a show?\u2019 And I did. I had two other ideas: One was about refugees and food, and the other was about cancer, finding a balance between standard of care and alternative treatments. No one seemed very keen on either of those. So, and then I said, \u2018Oh, I want to go through Italy and break it down region by region.\u2019 And they went, \u2018OK!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tSo here\u2019s the big question: What\u2019s the most underrated region of Italy that we should check out? \u201cI think Le Marche is a really beautiful region, which is right next to Tuscany. I shouldn\u2019t even be saying this because I know that people will go to it. But it\u2019s a really beautiful region, and it\u2019s not packed with a huge number of tourists. The seaside is really pretty. The food is absolutely wonderful, and it\u2019s not crazy expensive. But it\u2019s gorgeous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tAs for hosting, Tucci says there was a learning curve at first. \u201cI was very nervous when I first did it. I thought, \u2018What am I doing? I don\u2019t know how to do this.\u2019 I know how to memorize lines, or I know how to improvise, but with an actor, not with a normal person. But now I\u2019m much better at it, and I feel more comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe secret, he says, is to listen. \u201cIf you\u2019re not listening in the scene and responding truthfully, it\u2019s not going to work,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  size-large alignnone \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure  lrv-u-font-family-secondary u-color-medium-grey lrv-u-border-b-1 u-border-color-light-grey-tint-two u-margin-b-150 lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:934px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Variety-Stanley-Tucci-100682.png?w=934\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Variety-Stanley-Tucci-100682.png 934w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Variety-Stanley-Tucci-100682.png?resize=150,144 150w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Variety-Stanley-Tucci-100682.png?resize=300,287 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"894\" width=\"934\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  \">\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tFor Tucci\u2019s first time in <em>Variety, <\/em>it was Oct. 6, 1982, in a review of Broadway\u2019s \u201cThe Queen and the Rebels.\u201d Tucci was listed as one of the travelers\/soldiers, alongside his pal Campbell Scott.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cI had just graduated from college,\u201d he says. \u201cI felt very lucky. I grew up with Campbell, and his mom was doing the play, and she cast us. He had one more year of university to do, I think. We were doing the play in the summer, so it was amazing for me. I understudied a role, and we were cast as extras for all practical purposes, and it was great because it got me my equity card and health insurance. That made a big difference. I was paid $550 a week, and I was in heaven. I thought this is the greatest thing ever. I got an agent, so I had all those things right out of college, SUNY Purchase. That\u2019s a huge thing for an actor starting their career.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>10 QUESTIONS WITH STANLEY TUCCI:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>1. Childhood nickname:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cTooch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>2. Something you loved as a kid but can\u2019t believe you were into it now:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cVelveeta.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>3. Go-to karaoke or sing-in-the-shower song:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cYou don\u2019t want to hear me sing. If you\u2019ll notice in those reviews you spoke of, there\u2019s not a single musical in them, and in a 40-45 year long career, and there\u2019s not a musical. But I sing in the shower, thinking I\u2019m brilliant. Something like \u2018Our Love is Here to Stay,\u2019 which is a song that I always sang to my kids when they go to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>4. Give me an alternate title for your show:<\/strong> \u201cOh God, you don\u2019t know how long it took us to come up with the simplest title in the book. \u2018Tucci Eats Italy\u2019? Just bad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>5. What\u2019s your secret talent?<\/strong>: \u201cI would say drawing and painting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>6. Favorite ice cream flavor<\/strong>: \u201cI don\u2019t really eat ice cream. If I had to say, it would be chocolate. It\u2019s so boring. I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>7. The one item you couldn\u2019t live without<\/strong>: \u201cA knife that I have. That sounds scary, doesn\u2019t it? But no, it\u2019s a chef\u2019s knife.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>8. What TV show in all of history do you wish you were a cast member of?<\/strong>: \u201cWild Wild West.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>9. Fictional character you most admire<\/strong>: \u201cI really loved doing \u2018Captain America.\u2019 I did it like 15,16, years ago, and it was one of the best work experiences I\u2019ve ever had. And I absolutely loved playing that role, even though when I was sent the script, it said, \u2018German scientist in his 70s,\u2019 and I was 50. I was like, \u2018Oh man, come on!\u2019 But it was so well written, and I just loved it. I just watched it again with my kids the other day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>10. Your favorite piece of advice<\/strong>: \u201cMy acting teacher George Morrison, who passed away a number of years ago, said, \u2018go beyond what\u2019s comfortable.\u2019 And the second one is that \u2018the undoing of something is as important as the doing of it.\u2019 That was from my father who told me that. And Alberto Giacometti.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<em>Variety\u2019s \u201cAwards Circuit\u201d podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, \u201cAwards Circuit\u201d features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Italy remains Stanley Tucci\u2018s first love. But a man can travel, right? After winning three Emmys for CNN\u2019s \u201cStanley Tucci: Searching for Italy,\u201d followed by two nominations (including this year) for Nat Geo\u2019s \u201cTucci in Italy,\u201d the star is on the move. Tucci tells Variety\u2018s Awards Circuit Podcast that he\u2019s currently filming his new season&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2212496015.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32373"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32373\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}