Stanley Tucci Reveals He 'Couldn't Get a Job' Even After Making The Devil Wears Prada

The actor spoke candidly about his career in a new interview with Vanity Fair, published on Oct. 22

Stanley Tucci The Devil Wears Prada Stanley Tucci attends the screening of "Big Night" during the Sands: International Film Festival of St Andrews at The Byre Theatre on April 15, 2023 in St Andrews, Scotland.
Stanley Tucci; The Devil Wears Prada. Photo:

Robert Perry/Getty; Barry Wetcher/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock

Stanley Tucci is opening up about struggling with his acting career after appearing in The Devil Wears Prada.

Speaking in a new interview with Vanity Fair, Tucci, 63, admitted he couldn’t get work after appearing in the 2006 film — despite the movie's huge success.

“After The Devil Wears Prada, I couldn’t get a job, and I didn’t quite understand that, but that’s just the way it was. So I went and did stuff that I didn’t necessarily want to do, but I did it,” he told the outlet while promoting his new film Conclave

Tucci stars as Runway magazine art director Nigel Kipling in the 2006 movie, opposite Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep, in her Oscar-nominated role as intimidating boss Miranda Priestly. 

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Stanley Tucci Reveals He Couldn't Get a Job Even After Making The Devil Wears Prada
Anne Hathaway and Tucci in the 2006 film 'The Devil Wears Prada'.

Barry Wetcher/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock

In his interview, Tucci explained that his career “has always gone through these fluctuations,” which he put down to being in the movie business and his health issues after being diagnosed with oral cancer in 2017.

“Having been sick six years ago, that threw a wrench into the works for a while, and then you slowly get back,” he told VF. “...I needed to work because I needed money. I probably started working too soon. I didn’t really have the energy to do it after the treatments, but you had to do it, and eventually, you climb back up again.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Tucci teased if he would be reappearing in the upcoming sequel for The Devil Wears Prada, which is reportedly in the works.

“I can’t answer that. No one will let me answer that,” he said. “I think they want it to happen, I would imagine. But I cannot really speak to it because it might not happen. I don’t know.”

 Stanley Tucci attends the screening of "Big Night" during the Sands: International Film Festival of St Andrews at The Byre Theatre on April 15, 2023 in St Andrews, Scotland.
Tucci pictured in April 2023.

Robert Perry/Getty

The actor previously spoke to PEOPLE about his possible involvement in the sequel earlier in the month. "If it does happen, I can only say that I'll be happy," said Tucci. "I don't really know. I haven't [heard] about the plot or anything. I really haven't.”

Tucci appeared in a spoof clip of The Devil Wears Prada posted on the Instagram account of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Show in a heartwarming moment for fans of the film on Monday, Oct. 21.

In the funny video, which was filmed backstage at the show, host Stephen Colbert acted as boss Priestly as guests Brian Cox, Jason Segel and Tucci reenacted the scene where Priestly shows up early to the Runway offices as dialogue from the film over the top.

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