L'Italo-Americano

20 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2014 The Quiet Italian MIcHAEL TRAVERSA An Italian American heritage can be found quite often in movie stars, especially those who come from the East Coast. Many of those have become quite famous, often portraying mobsters on screen. There are also others that have been able to make a name for themselves staying away from the stereotype and have impressed audiences with their talent role after role, such is the case of Stanley Tucci. Stanley's parents are both of Italian descent, mother and father's families both come from Calabria region. Tucci grew up in Katonah, New York along with his two younger sisters; one of them, Christine, would also come to be an actress. In fact the love for Cinema runs in the family, his cousin from the mother side, Joseph Tropiano is a screenwriter. During the early 1970s, when the children were still in elementary school, the family moved to Florence. They spent one year in Italy where they fell in love with the northern Italian cooking, lasagna verde becoming an all time favorite of the clan. Back in the US, Tucci took an interest in acting while in high school, and went on to attend the State University of New York's Conservatory of Theater Arts in Purchase. On the same year of graduation Tucci made his debut on Broadway thanks to his high school friend Campbell Scott. Scott's mother was actress Colleen Dewhurst, who at the 1985, when he made his film debut in Prizzi's Honor. What followed was a number of recurring roles on hit shows such as Miami Vice and Wiseguys, where he often played the bad guy. In Beethoven. All those roles represented a new challenge and gave the actor the opportunity to show his versatility. The increasing success led to his passion project, Big Night to become reality. the early nineties Tucci started booking major films, like Quick Change alongside Bill Murray, In The Soup with Steve Buscemi, and the family smash hit Tucci starred in the film, cowrote it with his cousin Joseph Tropiano, and co-directed with his friend Scott. He also gave a part to his sister Christine and their mother. The movie is the story of two Italian brothers trying to save their failing family restaurant, on the one night where they'll have to impress a very special customer. The dynamics between the two very different brothers was at the heart of the script but what everybody remembers is the preparation of the main dish for the night, a form of timballo Stanley Tucci time was co-starring in the play Queen and the Rebels, and she arranged for the two boys to have a part. Tucci's training on stage paid off three years later in called timpano, made of ziti, salame, provolone, eggs and tomato sauce. The recipe is a staple in the Tucci's family and goes all the way back to his maternal grandmother, Concetta Tropiano, whose dedication to food and cooking could not be stopped even when she suffered a stroke. The movie was an instant success among critics and audiences and received several accolades, like best first screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards. The recipe was in such demand that it spawned a book called Cucina e Famiglia, penned by Stanley's mother Joan Tropiano. Years later the recipe would be reprinted in Tucci's own The Tucci Cookbook while his signature role would help him getting cast as Meryl Streep's husband in Julie & Julia, a film centered on the life of chef Julia Child. In his career Tucci has had the ability to avoid being typecast as Italian or as a villain, whereas in his private life he has maintained a strong connection with his roots. He has been able to easily move between comedies and dramas, creating memorable characters in America's Sweethearts, Road to Perdition, The Terminal and The Devil Wears Prada. In 2009 The Lovely Bones gained him his first Academy Award nomination and he has won two Golden Globes, for Winchell in 1998, and for Conspiracy in 2001. At age 53 his career only seems to get bigger, he's currently starring in the record breaking franchise The Hunger Games where he plays Caesar Flickerman, a devious character that has exposed him to a whole new generation of fans.

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