How Cancer Affected Stanley Tucci’s Relationship to Food

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, HOST: You mentioned oral cancer. You mentioned the radiation. How did that affect your taste? Did you lose your taste?

STANLEY TUCCI, HOST “SEARCHING FOR ITALY”: Oh, gosh, yes. I lost — not only did I lost my taste, but everything tasted like, you know, what. And it took six months to start to be able to eat normally again. I had a feeding tube for six months. And I still — I can taste now. I can taste everything now. But I still can’t eat everything. I can’t just, sort of, dive into a piece of steak. I can’t just grab a sandwich and, sort of, eat it. There’s a lot — there are a lot of repercussions, saliva and all of that stuff.

AMANPOUR: So, does this series, how does it affect you? Is it something — is it like a life giver or is it a burden?

S. TUCCI: It’s a little bit of both. And for — when I first started, I was barely recovered. I was only, like, a year out of treatment. A little more. And it was hard. It was really, really, really hard. But over the years, we’ve been doing this for almost, like, three years now and it’s getting easier. It’s getting easier. But it is, to me, it’s a gift because I can taste all these things now. And to be able to go and visit all this people. Visit all these places and experience that and then give it to people. Show people how wonderful it is. The beauty of Italy and the complexity of Italy and the darkness of Italy.

AMANPOUR: And also, it seems to me anyway, watching you — I mean, I know all these things are hard and there’s a lot of hard work. But it looks like a very happy job, right?

S. TUCCI: It is.

AMANPOUR: Is it happier than acting or how does it compare to acting?

S. TUCCI: Well, you don’t have to memorize lines, that’s nice. And you don’t —

AMANPOUR: You just ad lib your way through.

S. TUCCI: You just, sort of, make it up.

AMANPOUR: Simple series, yes.

S. TUCCI: Yes, you know, in two languages, sort of. Yes, in some ways it is really happy. It’s — the thing that’s grueling about it, I suppose, is that yes, there’s a structure. But there’s a lot — there’s so much travel. I mean, I’m not one to talk to you about traveling. But you know, you leave your family for chunks of time.

AMANPOUR: Yes.

S. TUCCI: And you can’t get back because you’re shooting. You have like one day off. There’s no way you’re coming back. But it really is, in the end, it’s incredibly joyful.

AMANPOUR: Joyful, exactly.

S. TUCCI: Yes.

AMANPOUR: Talking about films, you — recent series has dropped.

S. TUCCI: Uh-huh.

AMANPOUR: We’re in the middle of it now, “Inside Man”.

S. TUCCI: Yes.

AMANPOUR: Where you play, I mean, this is my shorthand, a variation on Hannibal Lecter You’re a criminal on death row.

S. TUCCI: Yes.

AMANPOUR: And you’re helping an investigative journalist.

S. TUCCI: Yes, it’s really interesting. It’s a really interesting series. Steven Moffat wrote it who wrote “Sherlock” and “Dr. Who” at one point and “Dracula” —

AMANPOUR: And actually, “Dr. Who” is in it.

S. TUCCI: Yes, one of the old “Dr. Whos”.

AMANPOUR: The old — David —

S. TUCCI: Not that old but yes.

AMANPOUR: No, not that old.

S. TUCCI: David Tennant is in it. And it was so beautifully written, very funny, very dark. And I thought, I’ve always wanted to work with those guys. And they offered it to me and Paul McGuigan, the director, he’s a wonderful Scottish director I worked with a long time ago. And it was just — that was joyful.