Stanley Tucci Would Rather Be Right Than Liked
In a partnership with S.Pellegrino, the actor offers up this dilemma, along with five other icebreaker questions, for your holiday table.
If you've ever found yourself trapped in an awkward conversation at the holiday table, you're certainly not alone. For lots of people, seasonal gatherings bring the dread of unwanted personal questions, or even just the lulls of regular small talk.
Well, this year, S.Pellegrino has a simple solution for livening things up. In an ongoing partnership with actor Stanley Tucci, the 130-year-old brand is rolling out limited-edition bottles featuring “thought-provoking questions designed to keep the conversation flowing at the holiday dinner table — no more of the same ‘how is work?’ convo,” it says in a press release.
Each label poses one of six discussion topics to help break the ice. You'll find them printed on 750-milliliter glass bottles and one-liter plastic bottles at retailers nationwide this season, priced at $2.99 each.
“With longtime partner Stanley Tucci, S.Pellegrino is transforming holiday tables from a place to eat into a place to truly connect,” the brand says.
Stanley Tucci has acted in nearly 150 projects; he's known for iconic roles in “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Big Night,” “Julie & Julia” and so many more beloved films. He's also well-known for his appreciation of Italian cuisine. He won three Primetime Emmy Awards for the travel series “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.” I got to speak with him about his holiday plans, hosting tips and even a hot take. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
I'd love to hear about this partnership with S.Pellegrino. What led to this?
To me, it was very easy to say, "Yes, I'd love to partner with you." It's a great product. I've been drinking it for God knows how long, and it's great. And you know, it's Italian, so that's nice. And we've been working together now for four or five years, and it's just been a wonderful collaboration. They're the nicest group of people. I went and visited when I first got on board — I went to visit where where it actually comes from, and it was pretty pretty great.
Did you learn anything interesting from visiting?
Well, I found out that this water basically spends 30-some years filtering through the ground, which I thought was really kind of cool.
In this holiday partnership, there are icebreaker questions on the bottles for get-togethers. Do you have a favorite of any of them?
I like the one, 'To be right or liked?' I think it's very funny.
Do you have an answer to that?
I would rather be right. As much as I like to be liked, I'd rather be right.
Do you have any plans for the holidays this year?
No, I'm canceling them all — kidding. We're gonna be here at home, and we'll have Christmas Eve at my house, a small Christmas Eve, and then we'll go over to my in-laws' house and have a big Christmas Day. Thanksgiving? Well, because we live in England, I still do a Thanksgiving, but it seems the Brits are the ones who are more excited about it than the Americans. So we'll do a big Thanksgiving here at the house.
Do you think it's because you're the one to host that you're less excited?
Maybe, yeah. But we also get like, any American that we know — not any, I mean, we can't fit everyone — but people who are expats or people who are working or whatever, filming or something, they usually come over for Thanksgiving.
Do you have any favorite memories from hosting Thanksgiving over there?
Yes. Well, every time we do it, I go, 'I'm not doing that again.' And then as it rolls around, you go like, 'Okay, so what are we making for Thanksgiving?' I just love having everybody get together. And like I said, if somebody's making a movie and they're here — Mark Ruffalo came one year — because so much stuff is made in England now, you get a lot of actors, directors who end up here.
I was reading your description of hosting Thanksgiving in 'What I Ate in One Year,' and it was making me laugh — the turkey that you said was like an uncomfortable first date, which I think can be really true. Have you ever had one that really impressed you, or have you found any tips for making it a little more interesting?
Look, I know we want to present it whole, right? Because it looks like a Norman Rockwell image, right? However... how is that turkey? The breast is going to cook completely at a different time than the legs, right? Because the breast has no fat, and it's huge, and then you have the legs, which are dark meat and have more oil in them. So, I think it's best just to cut the thing up and cook it the way each piece is meant to be cooked. It's not like a chicken. We like to think of it like a chicken, but it's not a chicken.
Do you do spices, herbs, stuffing?
Herbs, yeah. I make a stuffing separate. My wife doesn't like the stuffing in the turkey, which makes me sad. So, I don't do that, but I do make a stuffing that is my mom's recipe. I like it inside, but you can't stuff it the night before, otherwise everybody gets sick.
Do you try to prep the night before?
The night before? Two days before!
Do you have any general tips for hosting — for making things run smoothly around the holidays?
Have your table set. If people like martinis, make a pitcher or two of them and have that ready in the fridge. And have your wine open. Have everything set and ready. Have all your hors d'oeuvres ready, because then you're going to focus on all the other stuff.
In speaking of martinis, I did want to ask you: You were on Ina Garten's show, and you made her her first martini, is that right?
Yeah! How is that possible? I think she might have forgotten she'd had a martini or something, but anyway, she loved it, thank God. I absolutely adore her, and I couldn't believe it. There are lots of people who I think shy away from them for some reason.
What was that experience like — of cooking together?
Oh my God, I loved it. I loved her for years. My sister-in-law had done it, friends had done it, and I was like, 'Oh, how come she's never asked me to do it?' And then she asked me to do it. So, I was really excited.
Do you have any go-to comfort foods, generally speaking?
Yeah: pasta, pasta and pasta. Pasta marinara, pasta pomodoro. Peanut butter, honey and banana sandwiches, on toast. I like that very much. Like, late at night, when you wake up and you're peckish.
Do you have any unpopular opinions about holiday menus?
Oh, yeah. You know that stuff that people make at Thanksgiving — ambrosia? Does it come with a health warning? It's gross. It's not even like food. Did I overstep my bounds?
No. Especially if you'd rather be right than liked, I think it's fine. One more question — I'll pull one from the S.Pellegrino list. 'What moment brought you joy this year?'
Spending time with my kids on vacation. We were in the Cotswolds, and then we were also lucky enough to go down to Cornwall, and that was that was great.
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