Stanley Tucci supports straight actors in gay roles.

Actor Stanley Tucci: Straight Actors Should Play Gay Characters

Stanley Tucci insists that straight actors should be allowed to play gay characters. The 62-year-old star, known for his roles in “The Hunger Games” and “The Devil Wears Prada,” has received praise for his portrayal of a gay man in the 2020 drama “Supernova” opposite Colin Firth.

“Obviously, I believe that’s fine,” Tucci, who is heterosexual, said on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. “I am always very flattered when gay men come up to me and talk about [my role in] ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ or they talk about ‘Supernova,’ and they say that, ‘It was just so beautiful,’ you know, ‘You did it the right way.’ Because often it’s not done the right way, and I really do believe as an actor that you are supposed to play different people. You just are.”

In an interview with The Guardian, Tucci also revealed that he feels more comfortable acting than in real life. He admitted, “I feel much safer on stage than I do in real life. Sometimes, walking into a cocktail or dinner party, I get very nervous.”

Tucci’s Personal Life and Loss

During the same interview, Tucci opened up about his wife, Felicity Blunt, whom he met through his “Devil Wears Prada” co-star Emily Blunt. Despite their age difference, Tucci knew she was a special person and expressed his gratitude for her presence in his life.

“I was kind of afraid of getting into a relationship and I kept trying to break it off because I am 21 years older than Felicity. I didn’t want to feel old for the rest of my life, but I knew this was an incredibly special person. If anybody made things better for all of us, it is her,” he said.

Tucci also shared the pain of losing his first wife, Kate Tucci, to cancer in 2010. Reflecting on the devastating loss, he revealed, “I didn’t work for almost a year … It was awful. It still is awful in a way. You never really get over it. I was afraid it would affect me so greatly that it would overwhelm me, so that I wouldn’t be able to go on and take care of the kids, so I had to step away. Other people were there. But you still feel guilty and sad about it.”

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