Be My Guest With Ina Garten Transcript
Kerry Diamond:
Hi, everyone. You are listening to Radio Cherry Bombe, and I'm your host, Kerry Diamond. I'm the founder and editor of Cherry Bombe Magazine, and each week I talk to the most interesting culinary folks around. Today we have a special treat for you. I know all of you love Ina Garten as much as we do here at Cherry Bombe. So, we're sharing an episode from the new season of Ina's podcast. Her show is called Be My Guest With Ina Garten. And in each episode, Ina invites friends old and new into her East Hampton home for great food and conversation. Uh, who wouldn't want that invitation? In this episode, Ina hangs out with… are you ready? Stanley Tucci. I know, I know, two of our absolute faves. We've talked to Stanley and Ina on Radio Cherry Bombe lots of times over the years, so we're excited to learn what happens when they hang out IRL.
In this episode, Ina and Stanley make Oysters Rockefeller and a Tuscan seafood stew. They talk about Stanley's iconic movies, including The Devil Wears Prada and Julie & Julia. And of course, there are cocktails. Stanley actually makes Ina her very first classic martini. How has Ina never had a martini? And does Stanley shake or stir? Stay tuned. If you love this episode of Be My Guest With Ina Garten, be sure to find the show on your favorite podcast platform and subscribe. There are lots of fun episodes waiting for you.
I'll keep this week's housekeeping quick. I know many of you have been asking when Cherry Bombe's magazine subscriptions would be coming back. Well, they are back. Head to cherrybombe.com to snag your subscription. We also have some options that combine a subscription plus a Cherry Bombe membership, and there's also a special option for you CEOs and founders out there. Don't miss a single issue of our beautiful quarterly magazine. Each issue celebrates women in and around the world of food, drink, and hospitality. Enjoy lush photos and illustrations, thoughtful stories and essays, and great recipes, all printed on beautiful paper. Fun fact: our printing is done in Rhode Island by a family-owned printer known for their work with world-famous artists and photographers. So, in other words, our magazine is very special. Don't miss a single issue. Learn more at cherrybombe.com. Now, here's Ina and Stanley.
Ina Garten:
Hi. I'm Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. Welcome to the audio podcast of my show, Be My Guest. I've invited some really interesting people to visit me. Some are old friends and some are new friends. We'll share stories that will hopefully amuse and inspire you, and you're invited too. How fun is that? I'd love to invite interesting people to my house for good food, great conversation, and lots of fun. My friend Stanley Tucci, the amazing award-winning actor, writer, director, and TV host is joining me for a wonderful day at the barn.
Stanley Tucci:
Ina has asked me to come over and cook with her, which is like kind of a dream that I once had, and now it's coming true. I can't wait. I'm very excited. We're going to make a cocktail and we're going to cook.
Ina Garten:
Stanley's mixing me my first ever martini and I'm making him easy Oysters Rockefeller to celebrate.
Stanley Tucci:
Oh my God.
Ina Garten:
Not bad, hmm?
Stanley Tucci:
Not bad?
Ina Garten:
Not bad?
Stanley Tucci:
Are you kidding?
Ina Garten:
We're talking love, life, his glittering career, the best of times, and the worst of times.
Stanley Tucci:
I lost my taste and smell and couldn't eat. Had to eat through a feeding tube for six months.
Ina Garten:
Then we're heading back to the kitchen to make Stanley's amazing Tuscan fish stew.
Stanley Tucci:
Cacciucco.
Ina Garten:
Cacciucco.
Stanley Tucci:
Cacciucco. Yes. It is weird.
Ina Garten:
God bless you.
Stanley Tucci:
God bless you. Yeah.
Ina Garten:
We're cooking, sharing confidences-
Stanley Tucci:
Cheers.
Ina Garten:
... and heading to the beach. Be my guest.
Stanley Tucci:
Essere mio ospite.
Ina Garten:
That sounds so much better in Italian. Maybe I'll change the name of the show.
I've known Stanley for a couple of years, but we've only talked on Zoom. I'm so looking forward to being in the same place at the same time. It's going to be really fun. So, Stanley, when he arrives, is going to make me one of his famous martinis. I've never actually had a martini so I'm kind of scared, but I'm going to do it. And I thought I would make Oysters Rockefeller to go with it. So, first I've melted some butter and I'm going to put shallots in. This is really the spinach topping that goes on the oysters. I'm just going to let the shallots cook for a few minutes in a little salt and pepper. I want them to have great flavor. Okay. And then I'm going to put a little Pernod in, a few tablespoons. It's got that kind of licorice flavor that's good with oysters. I'm going to reduce those for about three to four minutes. And while that happens, let me tell you about Stanley.
Stanley is a multi-talented Oscar-nominated actor, director, producer, writer, TV host, and author. He grew up in New Jersey in a food-obsessed Italian family. He started performing in high school and majored in acting in college. He's starred in more than 100 films, from his Oscar-nominated role as a serial killer in Lovely Bones to blockbusters like The Hunger Games, his own movie, Big Night, that he also co-directed, Julie & Julia, and the iconic Devil Wears Prada, where he met the lovely Emily Blunt, who is now his sister-in-law. Stanley has acted in legendary TV shows, hosted his own food and travel series, Searching For Italy, and performed in more than a dozen plays on and off Broadway, winning Emmys, Golden Globes, and a Tony. A longtime foodie, he's written cookbooks and his bestselling memoir Taste: My Life through Food. A father of five, Stanley lost his first wife Kate to cancer, courageously faced his own fight with throat cancer, and found happiness again with Emily's sister Felicity [Blunt]. He's truly an inspiring renaissance man.
Stanley is such an incredible guy. I've got so much I want to talk to him about. Okay, this is reduced. The next thing I'm going to put in is cream spinach. Usually, when you make Oysters Rockefeller, it's done with fresh spinach, but it's got so much liquid in it and it's just such a big deal to deal with it. And I find, I learned from a friend of mine, that if you start with frozen cream spinach that's been defrosted it makes really good Oysters Rockefeller. When I heard that Stanley was going to make me martinis, I thought, "Oysters, martinis, they go really well together." This has to reduce for just a few minutes.
Stanley Tucci:
I am on my way to Ina's. And I'm going to cook with her for her. With her. I'm very excited. Can't wait.
Ina Garten:
Stanley should be here soon. Just going to put this topping on the oysters. I'll just spoon some of the spinach mixture onto each oyster on the half-shell. I have them nestled in crinkled aluminum foil on a sheet pan to hold them level, making sure their juices stay in the shells. Then I'll sprinkle them evenly with a quarter of a cup of freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese and a quarter of cup of grated gruyère. These are ready to go into the oven, 450 degrees for just six to eight minutes, just until the cheese melts, the spinach is hot and the oysters are just barely cooked through. These are going to be so good and this is going to be a really fun day.
Stanley Tucci:
Okay, so we're just here about to arrive at Ina's.
Ina Garten:
I'm just going to finish them off the little fleur de sel. Just give them even more flavor.
Stanley Tucci:
So, this is the place that I've seen for so many years on television. I thought it was going to be a little nicer than this. Oh, well. We'll make do. Ina?
Ina Garten:
Stanley, hi. Come on in.
Stanley Tucci:
I'm so glad I got the right date.
Ina Garten:
You got the right date. You got the right place.
Stanley Tucci:
I know.
Ina Garten:
You got the right person.
Stanley Tucci:
I'm so glad.
Ina Garten:
I'm so happy to see you.
Stanley Tucci:
I'm so happy to see you too.
Ina Garten:
We've known each other forever, and yet we've never been in the same place.
Stanley Tucci:
I know, I know.
Ina Garten:
But come in.
Stanley Tucci:
It's such an honor.
Ina Garten:
Thank you.
Stanley Tucci:
Thank you. Thank you.
Ina Garten:
It's so great to have you here. I made oysters because I understand you're making martinis. Is that right?
Stanley Tucci:
Yes. You understand correctly.
Ina Garten:
How jealous are you? And I thought, "Oysters go with martinis," right?
Stanley Tucci:
Oh my gosh.
Ina Garten:
So, I made Oysters Rockefeller for you. How's that? But first, let's make a martini.
Stanley Tucci:
I love that. Yeah, let's make a martini. Okay.
Ina Garten:
Can I tell you a secret?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah.
Ina Garten:
I've never had a martini in my life.
Stanley Tucci:
Really?
Ina Garten:
Seriously. So, this is my first.
Stanley Tucci:
Jeez, honey, you got to get out more, right? Yeah. Really?
Ina Garten:
I've had a lot of cocktails, but I've never actually had a real martini. But you make the best ones of all, right?
Stanley Tucci:
This is true. This is true. Okay, so let's do it. So, there are a number of ways to make a martini. Since it's your first one, I'm not going to make it super dry.
Ina Garten:
So, super dry means that there's less vermouth in it.
Stanley Tucci:
Yes, exactly.
Ina Garten:
Are you the one who said, "You just fill a glass with gin and wave it in the direction of Italy?”
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. That was Noel Coward's quote.
Ina Garten:
Oh, that was?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. Yeah.
Ina Garten:
That's great.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. But I like to pretend I said it. Yeah.
Ina Garten:
It was so clever.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. So, a white vermouth. This is three-quarters of an ounce.
Ina Garten:
Do you remember the first time you had a martini? Is it kind of like sex, you remember the first time and who you had it with?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. I think the first time I had a martini, or do you want to talk about the sex? No, martini. The first time I had a martini, I believe was at a restaurant that's still there on the Upper West Side, Cafe Luxembourg.
Ina Garten:
Luxembourg. I love Cafe Luxembourg.
Stanley Tucci:
It's a great restaurant.
Ina Garten:
And it's 40 years old and it's still so good.
Stanley Tucci:
I know, I know... And I used to go there all the time when I was painting apartments to make money, or I was working in restaurants to make money. I would go on a weekend, I'd save up some money, and I would go sit at the bar and have martinis and eat the free hard-boiled eggs they had on... Like, they have in French restaurants, there's a little thing.
Ina Garten:
Yeah, exactly.
Stanley Tucci:
And that was my dinner.
Ina Garten:
Oh, how wonderful.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. It was an incredibly unhealthy diet.
Ina Garten:
If you'd only known then what you know now, right?
Stanley Tucci:
I know, I know. So, I'm going to do a big-
Ina Garten:
So, three-quarters...
Stanley Tucci:
A splash of that, okay?
Ina Garten:
That's vermouth.
Stanley Tucci:
That's vermouth. Now, gin. So, that is two ounces. Let's see. All right.
Ina Garten:
Okay. That's two ounces?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah.
Ina Garten:
So, that's four-ounce ounces.
Stanley Tucci:
Four ounces. Yes.
Ina Garten:
Whoa.
Stanley Tucci:
I know. So, now just stir it.
Ina Garten:
Oh, so it's really about diluting it.
Stanley Tucci:
It is.
Ina Garten:
So, in a way, shaking a cocktail is about diluting it, and this is too. And what's the difference between shaken and stirred?
Stanley Tucci:
The stirred-
Ina Garten:
Style?
Stanley Tucci:
... it has a slightly more delicate taste. You don't get any of the little pieces of ice.
Ina Garten:
Okay. Two glasses.
Stanley Tucci:
Two glasses. Oh, I'm very excited.
Ina Garten:
So, I'll always remember who I had my first martini with.
Stanley Tucci:
Yes. I know. I know.
Ina Garten:
Isn't that crazy?
Stanley Tucci:
I'm very flattered. Okay.
Ina Garten:
It's funny, there's no color-
Stanley Tucci:
Just a bit of liquid.
Ina Garten:
... but it's so elegant.
Stanley Tucci:
It's so elegant.
Ina Garten:
It's just so elegant.
Stanley Tucci:
It is. And to me, with oysters-
Ina Garten:
With oysters. Isn't that a good combination?
Stanley Tucci:
It's the best combination. Look at that. Look at how perfect that is. Look at that.
Ina Garten:
Perfect.
Stanley Tucci:
Now, zest.
Ina Garten:
Okay. Oh. Oh, that's great. So, you taste it-
Stanley Tucci:
Just a little bit of that.
Ina Garten:
It's the first thing that you taste when the lip of the-
Stanley Tucci:
Some people say, "Don't do that," but I think it's really nice.
Ina Garten:
Oh, that's really nice.
Stanley Tucci:
You know what? I'm going to put lemon and an olive in mine. Yes. I'm greedy. You can put anything you want really, I guess. Except a pineapple.
Ina Garten:
Except a meatball.
Stanley Tucci:
Except a meatball. Although it's tempting.
Ina Garten:
I want an olive now too.
Stanley Tucci:
Don't you?
Ina Garten:
I do.
Stanley Tucci:
I know.
Ina Garten:
I really do.
Stanley Tucci:
I know.
Ina Garten:
Yeah. That's just perfect.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah.
Ina Garten:
Here we go.
Stanley Tucci:
Ready?
Ina Garten:
Kiss me goodnight.
Stanley Tucci:
Well, they'll have to turn the cameras off. Cheers. Thank you for having me.
Ina Garten:
To Stanley's martinis.
Stanley Tucci:
Thank you.
Ina Garten:
That's gorgeous.
Stanley Tucci:
It's nice, right?
Ina Garten:
It's totally gorgeous. I thought it was going to be like sheer alcohol, and it's not.
Stanley Tucci:
That really dilutes it. It's lovely, isn't it?
Ina Garten:
So, want to taste some of my oysters to go with it?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. yeah. Where are these oysters?
Ina Garten:
So, these are Oysters Rockefeller. They're local oysters.
Stanley Tucci:
Oh, okay.
Ina Garten:
And I have a secret in it. I make them with cream spinach.
Stanley Tucci:
Oh my God. You're so smart. I knew you were smart.
Ina Garten:
You knew I was smart.
Stanley Tucci:
I didn't know you were that smart. Oh, I'm so excited. I love Oysters Rockefeller. Oh my God.
Ina Garten:
Not bad, hmm?
Stanley Tucci:
Not bad?
Ina Garten:
Not bad.
Stanley Tucci:
Are you kidding? That's perfect.
Ina Garten:
Thank you.
Stanley Tucci:
Wow. Where do you want to go?
Ina Garten:
So, let's take our martinis and our oysters and go sit down. I have so much to talk to you about.
Stanley Tucci:
Okay, good.
Ina Garten:
How great is this?
Stanley Tucci:
Oh my gosh.
Ina Garten:
I have you all to myself.
Stanley Tucci:
No, I'm so thrilled. You have no idea.
Ina Garten:
Isn't it great? So, Stanley.
Stanley Tucci:
So, Ina.
Ina Garten:
I think there are two kinds of people in this world. The kind that say, at eight o'clock at night, they go, "I'm a little hungry. Oh, that's right. I forgot to have breakfast and lunch." and then there are people who at breakfast are deciding what they're going to eat for lunch and dinner. I think I know which one you are.
Stanley Tucci:
Yes.
Ina Garten:
Am I right?
Stanley Tucci:
Yes. Yes.
Ina Garten:
So, when you were growing up, your family talked about food all the time, right?
Stanley Tucci:
All the time. Everything was about food. We always talked about food as we were eating, particularly on a Sunday when we're eating a classic ragu. Yeah.
Ina Garten:
So, describe how you make a ragu.
Stanley Tucci:
Okay. So, a classic ragu, it's a meat-based dish, which is cuts of beef, and you're basically making a slow-cooked sauce. Then you take the meat out, you set it aside, you toss the pasta with that sauce.
Ina Garten:
So, you had the pasta first, and then the meat.
Stanley Tucci:
And then the meat.
Ina Garten:
Which is a classic Italian way to cook. Do you only cook Italian?
Stanley Tucci:
It's what I'm best at. So, I play it safe.
Ina Garten:
When you're cooking or you're like me, I mean, when I'm cooking, I'm always sure it's going to turn out badly. I don't know why. I am just terrified. Because-
Stanley Tucci:
Me too.
Ina Garten:
... they're coming to my house. They expect it's going to be fabulous. And I'm like, "It's never going to be as good as they expect." Are you that kind of nervous cook?
Stanley Tucci:
Without question.
Ina Garten:
Oh, good.
Stanley Tucci:
Without question.
Ina Garten:
I'm relieved.
Stanley Tucci:
I'm very nervous. Very nervous. I know we're going to cook together, right?
Ina Garten:
Yeah.
Stanley Tucci:
And I was quite nervous about it. Still am.
Ina Garten:
You don't have to be nervous with me.
Stanley Tucci:
Oh, okay. But just don't taste it. No, I am. I'm very nervous. And I am the person who, if it doesn't quite work out-
Ina Garten:
I'm miserable.
Stanley Tucci:
... I go to bed at night. I wake up in the middle of the night-
Ina Garten:
"I'm never cooking again."
Stanley Tucci:
... and was like, "Why did that happen?" Yeah. "I'm never cooking it again. I should let Felicity just cook."
Ina Garten:
And then the next day you start all over again, right?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, I agree. I wake up every day. Well, thank God.
Ina Garten:
I'm so glad you do.
Stanley Tucci:
Then I'm alive, yeah. But when I go down and get the kids ready for school and all that, inevitably I will start cooking something during that process.
Ina Garten:
Oh, seriously?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. Yeah. I'm just like, "Those peppers are going to go off. I got to cook those peppers now." And then I'm cutting the peppers, sauteing the peppers so that I can just put them aside. Then I know they're done. Then I can figure out what I'm going to do with them. But it also relaxes me. It just-
Ina Garten:
Puts you in that zone.
Stanley Tucci:
It puts me in that zone.
Ina Garten:
Yeah. In your book Taste, you talk about your family's history and that you always talked about food, which is so important, and things that were important to you on food. And then at the end, you reveal the most terrifying thing that could ever happen to somebody is your experience with cancer. But once you've gotten past that, did you change your life after that?
Stanley Tucci:
I was obsessed with getting back to the life that I once had before I had cancer, and before I lost my taste and smell and couldn't eat. Had to eat through a feeding tube for six months and all that.
Ina Garten:
Did you decide there are things like food that you wanted to really focus on?
Stanley Tucci:
It was in my mind before. There's no question. Because I had the idea of doing the show many years ago.
Ina Garten:
Oh, you did?
Stanley Tucci:
15 years ago. Even when I started the show, there was a lot that I couldn't eat. I could taste everything, but I couldn't eat everything. And I wanted to learn, but I also wanted to show people that Italy isn't just pasta and pizza and whatever. Do you know what I mean? That it's so complicated and that it's not always sunny and it's not always happy.
Ina Garten:
Yeah, they're having tough times.
Stanley Tucci:
That it's a very complicated country.
Ina Garten:
So, when you were making Big Night, I think one of the things you did was you worked at La Madre to learn how a kitchen was like. And you worked with a very famous chef, Johnny Scapine. Did I pronounce it right?
Stanley Tucci:
You did, perfectly, yeah.
Ina Garten:
I did? And so tell me what it's like working in a professional kitchen.
Stanley Tucci:
It was really, really great. He taught me how to make gnocchi. He taught me how to make a risotto. He taught me so many things. How to make a frittata, all that stuff.
Ina Garten:
Love a good frittata. And they're sometimes really bad.
Stanley Tucci:
Oh, yeah. They're often really bad. Some of mine are really bad. To me, it's one of the most interesting places in the world, a professional kitchen. It's brutal.
Ina Garten:
It's brutal.
Stanley Tucci:
It's brutal.
Ina Garten:
It's a really hard job.
Stanley Tucci:
It's like sport. It's like acting. The adrenaline kicks in and then everything else disappears. And you're living in the moment. There's no past. There's no future. You're only doing that thing at this incredibly high level. But it makes for a very difficult life because then you have to go out into the real world where it isn't extreme. It's why actors in the theater, it's so intense. You're doing something that often is a naturalistic representation of life. Still, it's heightened because you are in front of 2,500 people, or 1000 people, or 500, whatever. And then when it's over, you're like, "Oof." And then you want to have a-
Ina Garten:
That's when you have a nice martini.
Stanley Tucci:
That's when you have a martini. Yeah. And a good meal.
Ina Garten:
And you go home and have a good time. Exactly.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. Yeah.
Ina Garten:
So, I'd love to talk about your movie career, because it's been an extraordinary career. You've played so many different characters, it's crazy. I mean, you've done so many I don't even know how to pick them out. But say Spotlight. This is the Oscar-winning true story of the Boston Globe's investigation into the coverup of child sex abuse within the Catholic Church. Stanley plays Mitch Garabedian, the campaigning lawyer who represents the victims. How do you create that character? Did you meet Mitch Garabedian?
Stanley Tucci:
No, I didn't. I met him only after the film was made.
Ina Garten:
Did you try and recreate him, or did you have an idea of what he would be?
Stanley Tucci:
I looked at news stories about him. I read about him, obviously, but also then watched him on video. It's like a recipe. It's about knowing what not to put in I swear. That's it.
Ina Garten:
It's true.
Stanley Tucci:
Or it's like Cezanne's paintings. What isn't there is what makes them so brilliant. So, what don't you put in is more important than what you put in.
Ina Garten:
Are you involved in the costumes?
Stanley Tucci:
Oh, yeah. The costume to me is crucial. What shoes I wear, if it doesn't feel right and it doesn't look right, we change it.
Ina Garten:
So, how did the movie Julie & Julia come to you? Of course, it was written and directed by Nora Ephron, who we adore. How did you end up with that?
Stanley Tucci:
Meryl [Streep] asked me. We were at a Christmas party, and she said, "Would you like to play my husband in Julie & Julia?”
Ina Garten:
And you said, "Let me think about it"?
Stanley Tucci:
I said, "Yeah, yeah. Give me a few days." Of course I said yes, because I always loved Julia Child. I always thought Julia Child was one of the most incredible, well, one of the most incredible people in the cooking world, but also kind of in the world.
Ina Garten:
In the world. She was so unique and so comfortable in herself. And it must have been really fun to play two people-
Stanley Tucci:
It was.
Ina Garten:
... who just were crazy about each other.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. Because I don't have that in my real life. No. No. I was so honored to be asked to do it, and it was a really, really great experience to be able to play that guy who was fascinating. He was fascinating. And nobody really knows about him. And it was great fun to do it, besides. Some movies aren't fun.
Ina Garten:
Yes.
Stanley Tucci:
That was fun.
Ina Garten:
Exactly. That was fun. Tell me about the scene where you and she are sitting in the restaurant where she's trying to figure out what she should do with her life. You said to her, "What do you want to do? Well, what do you love to do?" And she's like, "Well, I'd love to eat." And you said, "And you do it very well."
Stanley Tucci:
Is that what I said?
Ina Garten:
I don't think that was in the script.
Stanley Tucci:
No, no, it wasn't. No.
Ina Garten:
It was a perfect moment.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, yeah. It's heartbreaking, particularly for women at that time.
Ina Garten:
Well, I mean, when I got married decades later, it never even occurred to me that I was going to do something with my life.
Stanley Tucci:
Really?
Ina Garten:
And Jeffrey said to me, when we first got married, "You need to figure out what to do with your life." And I was like, "I thought I was doing it." I was married. And he said, "No, I think you need to figure out what you're going to do with your life."
Stanley Tucci:
You have that relationship.
Ina Garten:
He just is such a support for me and such an encouragement. It's just so incredible.
Stanley Tucci:
But you've done, in a way, what Julia did too. You make us feel like we can do what you do.
Ina Garten:
Thank you.
Stanley Tucci:
There's no-nonsense.
Ina Garten:
I'm nervous about cooking. So, I actually write recipes that are as simple as possible that you can actually do. Because if I can do it and I can show you how to do it, then people are going to do it. And I love when people stop me and they say I taught them how to cook. I never expected that when I started writing cookbooks or doing a TV show. I love that.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. That's great.
Ina Garten:
Thank you.
Stanley Tucci:
No, you've changed a lot of people's lives for the better.
Ina Garten:
So, tell me about The Devil Wears Prada.
Stanley Tucci:
They were already filming.
Ina Garten:
Seriously?
Stanley Tucci:
I was the last person cast and I said, "Did you test every actor in Christendom before you came to me?" Anyway, they came to me and I had a week maybe to prepare. I think I spent more time in the costume fittings than I did actually on set.
Ina Garten:
Wow.
Stanley Tucci:
So, you want to bring that character to life. He's so beautifully written, but you want to make sure that it isn't a send-up, that it isn't-
Ina Garten:
A caricature.
Stanley Tucci:
.. a caricature.
Ina Garten:
You want it to be a real person.
Stanley Tucci:
You want it to be real. It just needed to be truthful.
Ina Garten:
You were so beloved in the movie, and so important in terms of the style of the movie, and then to have that terrible disappointment at the end. Is that hard to portray?
Stanley Tucci:
No, I'm very used to experiencing disappointment. So, it was easy. No, it wasn't.
Ina Garten:
You just reached back and that's what you do, right?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. Yeah. It's not that hard. I mean, yeah. We've all had disappointments in our lives.
Ina Garten:
Yeah, that's true.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. Yeah. It's just, that's your job.
Ina Garten:
Well, it was wonderful.
Stanley Tucci:
Oh, thank you.
Ina Garten:
And then to go on to play with your good friend Colin Firth in Supernova.
Stanley Tucci:
Okay. So, the movie's about a couple, a same-sex couple, one of whom has early onset dementia, and it's-
Ina Garten:
Tough movie.
Stanley Tucci:
... a really tough movie, and how they deal with that. I've been lucky enough to do a lot of movies in my life. That movie was one of the most important movies to me.
Ina Garten:
Why?
Stanley Tucci:
The script. Because the script was so beautiful. The script. The story was so beautiful. And then the experience of filming it was beautiful.
Ina Garten:
Oh, it's a great movie.
Stanley Tucci:
This movie, to me, it's one... And actually, also one of the most important movies about love that's ever been made. There's love, and that's it.
Ina Garten:
Everybody wants the same thing.
Stanley Tucci:
Everyone wants the same thing.
Ina Garten:
There's love and there's everything else. So, what makes a great day for you? You wake up in the morning and go, "This is going to be a great day."
Stanley Tucci:
Saturday morning, waking up, the kids coming into the bedroom. Always at an inopportune time. And then we go to the farmer's market, and then we cook and we do something with the kids, play out in the garden or do whatever, and then maybe have friends over for dinner or not. Just that, to me, is the most wonderful day.
Ina Garten:
So, did your wife Felicity cook with you?
Stanley Tucci:
She does, thank God. She is an amazing cook. We cook very different things. She really is great at cooking classic British food. Great at roast and great at baking. I'm not great at either of those things.
Ina Garten:
Can she teach Jeffrey how to cook?
Stanley Tucci:
Yes. Well, somebody has to. Yeah.
Ina Garten:
So, we're going to cook together?
Stanley Tucci:
Yes, we are.
Ina Garten:
What are we going to cook?
Stanley Tucci:
We're going to cook cacciucco.
Ina Garten:
Cacciucco?
Stanley Tucci:
Cacciucco. It sounds like-
Ina Garten:
It's not a sneeze?
Stanley Tucci:
No, it's not. Yeah. God bless you.
Ina Garten:
Okay.
Stanley Tucci:
It's the second course. Yeah. It's a fish stew, in essence.
Ina Garten:
I can't wait. I love fish stew. You don't know that, but I just adore it. Let's go cook.
Stanley Tucci:
All right. Good. All right.
Ina Garten:
Come with me.
Stanley Tucci:
All right, I'm coming.
Ina Garten:
Okay. Stanley and I are going to cook together. You're going to put me to work?
Stanley Tucci:
Yes, I am. I am. Finally, you have to do something. Okay. So, let's do olive oil first.
Ina Garten:
Here. Olive oil?
Stanley Tucci:
As usual. Yes. This has been heating up for a little bit. That's a perfect temperature now. Then we're going to do some chopped onion.
Ina Garten:
Can I cut up-
Stanley Tucci:
Roughly chopped.
Ina Garten:
... garlic for you?
Stanley Tucci:
Cut those in thirds.
Ina Garten:
How about quarters?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. Yeah, whatever you want.
Ina Garten:
I don't take direction well, do I?
Stanley Tucci:
I noticed. Okay. So, I'm just going to put... So, basically, that's two clothes, just like that. Just to give the flavor of it.
Ina Garten:
It's actually great because then it doesn't burn too, right?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, exactly.
Ina Garten:
That's interesting.
Stanley Tucci:
You know what? Let's just put a little more.
Ina Garten:
Oh, just put a little more?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah.
Ina Garten:
All right. Can never too much garlic.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. So, we'll let this cook just for a little bit. Obviously don't want it to brown. Just want it-
Ina Garten:
You don't want it to brown at all?
Stanley Tucci:
No, no. You just want it to soften.
Ina Garten:
Well, this smells great.
Stanley Tucci:
So, in essence, it's a really simple fish stew that came from what the fishermen used to cook from basically the off-cuts of what they caught.
Ina Garten:
What they caught to make dinner.
Stanley Tucci:
To make dinner. And they used to make it on the boat. And this is one of the healthiest things that you can eat.
Ina Garten:
Do we need a little white wine to-
Stanley Tucci:
I think we need a little white wine. I wanted to do a little more oil.
Ina Garten:
You mean for the fish stew or for us?
Stanley Tucci:
Oh, for us? No, for us.
Ina Garten:
Oh, for us.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, yeah. I don't care about the food.
Ina Garten:
Who cares about the fish stew?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. I'm going to put a-
Ina Garten:
Nice little Gavi here?
Stanley Tucci:
... little more oil. Yes.
Ina Garten:
How's that?
Stanley Tucci:
Yes.
Ina Garten:
Something Italian.
Stanley Tucci:
Something Italian.
Ina Garten:
It's got to be Italian.
Stanley Tucci:
Yes, of course.
Ina Garten:
Cheers.
Stanley Tucci:
Cheers.
Ina Garten:
To cacciucco.
Stanley Tucci:
God bless you. That's nice. Let's do a splash of white for them now, just to give it a little moisture. It'll help it cook a little. So, then-
Ina Garten:
What's next?
Stanley Tucci:
... we're going to throw in the tomatoes.
Ina Garten:
Tomatoes?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. We're going to cook-
Ina Garten:
Doctor?
Stanley Tucci:
Thank you, Doctor. And we're going to-
Ina Garten:
No, I'm the nurse.
Stanley Tucci:
... cook these down. Thank you, nurse. Okay. We're going to throw these in. We're going to let them get nice and mushy and soft. Mushy. Which is the technical term.
Ina Garten:
Mushy is the technical term for them. Yeah.
Stanley Tucci:
And there we go. So, this is about-
Ina Garten:
Those are nice grape tomatoes, aren't they?
Stanley Tucci:
Oh, these are gorgeous. Yeah, they're gorgeous.
Ina Garten:
I just can't wait to finish this stew and taste it. I'm here with Stanley Tucci, and he's showing me how to make a fish stew called-
Stanley Tucci:
Cacciucco.
Ina Garten:
Cacciucco.
Stanley Tucci:
Yes. So, okay. So, these have reduced now. And then let's put some basil in too.
Ina Garten:
Okay. I got basil.
Stanley Tucci:
And we'll salt it too.
Ina Garten:
You want just the leaves, right?
Stanley Tucci:
So, you have... I don't know.
Ina Garten:
How many leaves?
Stanley Tucci:
Rip up three of them.
Ina Garten:
Do you want them chopped up or do you want them whole?
Stanley Tucci:
No, no, no. Just rip them.
Ina Garten:
Rip them up?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah.
Ina Garten:
That's good. Yeah. Perfect.
Stanley Tucci:
There's something about cutting basil.
Ina Garten:
Yeah, I know.
Stanley Tucci:
I don't know. Sometimes. I suppose you do a chiffonade. Is that what you call it?
Ina Garten:
A chiffonade?
Stanley Tucci:
Yes. That's one of my favorite words.
Ina Garten:
But not for my Italian dish.
Stanley Tucci:
I can't do a chiffonade.
Ina Garten:
That's one of your favorite words? Chiffonade sounds like something you'd sit on, doesn't it?
Stanley Tucci:
Yes, it does. I'm not touching that with a 10-foot pole, even if I had one, but yes. So, I'm going to take a ladle full of this fish stock. And then, yes, the saffron.
Ina Garten:
A little saffron.
Stanley Tucci:
Would you put a little bit of saffron in there?
Ina Garten:
A pinch? A big pinch?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. Not a huge pinch, because you don't want it to be too saffrony.
Ina Garten:
Like that? Too much, too little?
Stanley Tucci:
So, maybe a little too much.
Ina Garten:
Okay.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. Make it a little less.
Ina Garten:
Like that?
Stanley Tucci:
That's good.
Ina Garten:
A little more?.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, do more. Do more. You're right. You're right. Why am I telling you what to do?
Ina Garten:
Well, because it's your stew.
Stanley Tucci:
This is my recipe, sort of.
Ina Garten:
It's your recipe. You can do whatever you want.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. Okay. So, now if we just-
Ina Garten:
Even the fish stock smells delicious.
Stanley Tucci:
... dissolve this. Oh yeah.
Ina Garten:
Does that smell good.?
Stanley Tucci:
Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Okay. So, we're going to add now this.
Ina Garten:
This is really interesting because now the tomatoes have kind of cooked down a little bit and they've let off their juices.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. Now we're going to add a little more of this stock.
Ina Garten:
So, what's your favorite comfort food?
Stanley Tucci:
Peanut butter and honey and banana sandwiches.
Ina Garten:
That sounds fabulous.
Stanley Tucci:
Kind of warm.
Ina Garten:
How about we just leave this and we'll go?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, I know.
Ina Garten:
I love that.
Stanley Tucci:
I love that.
Ina Garten:
That sounds amazing.
Stanley Tucci:
Or pasta... Pasta marinara.
Ina Garten:
Isn't that interesting? It's just the simplest things that are just delicious.
Stanley Tucci:
The simplest things make you the most happy.
Ina Garten:
Yeah. Yeah.
Stanley Tucci:
So, really now we could add the clams and the mussels. Okay. Let's add these. And thank you. We'll add these. Okay. We're going to let this really cook down.
Ina Garten:
So, do you want to put a lid on it?
Stanley Tucci:
I do. I do.
Ina Garten:
I don't think I have a lid that big, but I have aluminum foil. That'll work, right?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, that's great. Yeah, that's great.
Ina Garten:
Very big aluminum foil, actually. How's that?
Stanley Tucci:
We're in America.
Ina Garten:
Does that do it? Oh, good.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, this is perfect.
Ina Garten:
Great. That worked out perfect. Perfectly. Perfect. So, have any cooking disasters? I know Stanley Tucci doesn't have cooking disasters.
Stanley Tucci:
No. My whole-
Ina Garten:
But if you had a cooking disaster, what would it be?
Stanley Tucci:
Oh, I do remember making a timpano for my aunt and uncle and my parents one time.
Ina Garten:
Was it before Big Night or after Big Night?
Stanley Tucci:
I think it was after.
Ina Garten:
Stanley's amazing movie.
Stanley Tucci:
It was after. And it all fell apart. It was just disastrous. I was really embarrassed about it. I felt so badly.
Ina Garten:
It was probably still delicious though.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, it tasted good.
Ina Garten:
Was it? It tasted good?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. It just fell apart. And just the way it is.
Ina Garten:
Somebody described cooking as driving a car. I mean, the road is straight, but you still have to adjust the wheel along the way. And that just takes time to learn how to do it.
Stanley Tucci:
It does.
Ina Garten:
But it's worth knowing.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. No, that's actually a great analogy.
Ina Garten:
It's a good analogy, isn't it?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a wonderful analogy. Yeah. Oh, wow. Okay. I'm just going to check this and just give it a stir.
Ina Garten:
That smells amazing. I can smell the saffron and the seafood and the tomatoes. And the simplicity of it is incredible.
Stanley Tucci:
It's so simple. And if it's really coming nicely, we're going to add the shrimp.
Ina Garten:
Okay. I can hold the shrimp.
Stanley Tucci:
Yes. Thank you.
Ina Garten:
Doctor.
Stanley Tucci:
We just popped these in and-
Ina Garten:
Oh, I love that you spread them out. And some of them are in the shell and some are out of the shell.
Stanley Tucci:
Some are not in the shell.
Ina Garten:
Why?
Stanley Tucci:
Because I just think it's prettier.
Ina Garten:
I love that. I like that you tuck them into the-
Stanley Tucci:
Tuck them in.
Ina Garten:
Yeah. That's great.
Stanley Tucci:
Tuck them in a bit. I'm going to bring it down because those shrimp are going to cook so fast. We don't want them to tighten up.
Ina Garten:
Yeah. That's one of the things about cooking shrimp. You don't want them to get tough. You want them to just be barely cooked.
Stanley Tucci:
Barely cooked.
Ina Garten:
And when they sit in the liquid, they're going to continue cooking. So, what should we do while we wait?
Stanley Tucci:
Let's have a glass of wine.
Ina Garten:
Works for me.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. Cheers.
Ina Garten:
Cheers.
Stanley Tucci:
Cheers. Cheers. Keep rolling. I am having a little bit of a huge fan moment because I actually can't believe that I'm here cooking with you.
Ina Garten:
Oh, Stanley.
Stanley Tucci:
No, I am. No, I'm like a little-
Ina Garten:
Are you kidding?
Stanley Tucci:
No, no. I'm not kidding.
Ina Garten:
You're the best.
Stanley Tucci:
I'm an actor, but I'm not kidding. No, I really am. I cannot believe that I'm here. I'm really incredibly-
Ina Garten:
I feel the same way.
Stanley Tucci:
... honored and a little overwhelmed.
Ina Garten:
Thank you. Thank you. A little verklempt?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, yeah. I'm a little verklempt.
Ina Garten:
Me too.
Stanley Tucci:
I am. No, really. Thank you. Thanks.
Ina Garten:
Thank you.
Stanley's making this incredible fish stew. I can't wait to eat this.
Stanley Tucci:
This is gorgeous. So, the shrimp are here. They're done cooking. And now I am going to take now these mussels out. Ina?
Ina Garten:
Yeah.
Stanley Tucci:
Will you go drain the pasta?
Ina Garten:
I could do that, and I'll get a facial at the same time.
Stanley Tucci:
Reserve a little bit of the pasta water.
Ina Garten:
Uh-oh. Okay. I'll do that.
Stanley Tucci:
All right?
Ina Garten:
Yep.
Stanley Tucci:
Ina, my God.
Ina Garten:
Of course. Hello? Duh?
Stanley Tucci:
What am I going to do with you?
Ina Garten:
Okay. Drain pasta.
Stanley Tucci:
Okay. So, this is our sauce now. So, if we just add a little bit of the pasta water-
Ina Garten:
Pasta water coming up, Chef.
Stanley Tucci:
Yes. Thank you. Add a little bit of that in there. And then the pasta.
Ina Garten:
Okay. A pound of spaghetti cooked and drained.
Stanley Tucci:
Yes. Go ahead.
Ina Garten:
Shall I dump it in?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, go ahead.
Ina Garten:
This is so smart to cook the pasta in the sauce.
Stanley Tucci:
Oops. I made a big mess there. I'm so sorry.
Ina Garten:
That's all part of cooking.
Stanley Tucci:
It is.
Ina Garten:
You should see the mess that I make. I mean, it takes a week to clean up after me.
Stanley Tucci:
And my kids always get mad at me. Like, "Dad, really?"
Ina Garten:
My mother used to clean while she cooked, and it annoyed me so much that I never do it. How about this?
Stanley Tucci:
Yes, please. Thank you.
Ina Garten:
Is that good?
Stanley Tucci:
Yes. I was hoping you might do that. Okay.
Ina Garten:
So, you need some parsley?
Stanley Tucci:
Yes. Yes, please.
Ina Garten:
Okay. And do you like leaves or do you like a fine mist.
Stanley Tucci:
No, no. Chop it up. Chop it up.
Ina Garten:
Chop it up. Okay.
Stanley Tucci:
Fine. Fine.
Ina Garten:
Okay.
Stanley Tucci:
Fine. Sorry, I'm ordering you around.
Ina Garten:
You can order me around anytime you like. I'm always available for orders.
Stanley Tucci:
I'm going to add a little bit of oil to this.
Ina Garten:
He goes, "No, what are you talking about? Fine. I want fine."
Stanley Tucci:
That's gorgeous.
Ina Garten:
Oh, he said my parsley's gorgeous.
Stanley Tucci:
And I hardly know you. May I take this?
Ina Garten:
You most certainly can. You're the chef. People use parsley, I think, for the color, but the truth is good parsley has good flavor. Okay. So, you want to use those bowls?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah.
Ina Garten:
Okay, perfect.
Stanley Tucci:
Great, great, great.
Ina Garten:
Do you want fork or spoon or both?
Stanley Tucci:
Well, now if we were in southern Italy, we would have both.
Ina Garten:
We'd have both.
Stanley Tucci:
If we were in Northern Italy, we would have just a fork.
Ina Garten:
We're in East Hampton. Where are-
Stanley Tucci:
We're in East Hampton. So, a fork, a spoon, and a knife.
Ina Garten:
And a knife? Okay, great.
Stanley Tucci:
I don't know.
Ina Garten:
Get the whole thing.
Stanley Tucci:
No, chopsticks. No, I'm kidding.
Ina Garten:
How great is this?
Stanley Tucci:
Well, we'll find out. If you don't like it. Don't be honest. And this is what I think is a really cool thing about Italian cooking. Most Italian cooking happens that fast, right?
Ina Garten:
Yeah.
Stanley Tucci:
You don't spend a lot of time and you don't have a huge number of ingredients because-
Ina Garten:
But the ingredients you have are really good.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. They're really good.
Ina Garten:
Yeah. Okay.
Stanley Tucci:
Okay. Now let's do a little... Right here. Sorry.
Ina Garten:
Oh, parsley.
Stanley Tucci:
There we go. Okay. Now, should we put some of these on?
Ina Garten:
Yeah.
Stanley Tucci:
Let's do then one shrimp that doesn't-
Ina Garten:
How gorgeous does this look?
Stanley Tucci:
.... have a shell, okay? And then-
Ina Garten:
One with the shell, one without.
Stanley Tucci:
One that's nicely opened.
Ina Garten:
Okay. That's one.
Stanley Tucci:
They're gorgeous. I love shrimp.
Ina Garten:
I mean, how happy would you be if you got that in a restaurant and you can make it on your own stove? Of course, you have to clean the stove for about an hour and a half afterwards.
Stanley Tucci:
Especially if I'm cooking it.
Ina Garten:
No, no, no. If I'm cooking too.
Stanley Tucci:
It's so embarrassing. My wife gets a little upset sometimes. A little more parsley?
Ina Garten:
A little more parsley. Okay. I can do that. Like that.
Stanley Tucci:
And we'll do a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Ina Garten:
Oh, that's interesting. Isn't that nice? So, you get that fresh olive oil flavor.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, just a little bit.
Ina Garten:
Isn't this fabulous? Oh my God, Stanley. Thank you.
Stanley Tucci:
Oh my God.
Ina Garten:
I love this.
Stanley Tucci:
Thank you. I'm so excited.
Ina Garten:
Well, I mean, maybe it's not any good, so-
Stanley Tucci:
I hope it's good. It could be really awful.
Ina Garten:
It could be horrible.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah.
Ina Garten:
I'm going to make a mess at this, so excuse me in advance. It's so good.
Stanley Tucci:
It's good, right?
Ina Garten:
It's like layers of flavor, but it's all kind of melded together. Stanley, this is heaven. Are you happy?
Stanley Tucci:
Happy?
Ina Garten:
I'm so happy. Thank you.
Stanley Tucci:
Are you kidding? I'm in heaven. I'm with you. I cooked for and with you.
Ina Garten:
Brilliantly.
Stanley Tucci:
Are you kidding? I don't even know. I told you, I'm a little flummoxed.
Ina Garten:
Okay. After we finish this, how about I take you to the beach?
Stanley Tucci:
I hardly know you, but fine. Yeah. No, I would love that.
Ina Garten:
The beach in East Hampton is really special. It'd be fun to sit by the water. How's that?
Stanley Tucci:
I'll take you up on that.
Ina Garten:
Okay, good.
Stanley Tucci:
All right. Shall we toast each other? Or is that too cliche?
Ina Garten:
To Stanley.
Stanley Tucci:
No, to you. Thank you for having me. This is the greatest, really. It's such a great, great honor.
Ina Garten:
It's such a great honor for me.
Stanley Tucci:
You're amazing.
Ina Garten:
Cheers.
Stanley Tucci:
Thanks. Cheers.
Ina Garten:
First things first. Do you design your own kitchens?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah.
Ina Garten:
I know one of the kitchens you actually sold your house to Willie Geist, right?
Stanley Tucci:
Willie Geist, yeah.
Ina Garten:
And he just can't believe his good fortune.
Stanley Tucci:
Yes. I can't believe his good fortune. He got a bargain. I got news for you. My late wife and I designed the kitchen, and then I changed the kitchen and I put in that huge island. It was an 11 foot long, six foot wide single piece of marble.
Ina Garten:
Wow. Whoa. Really?
Stanley Tucci:
That was that thick. It was a beautiful kitchen. I loved it.
Ina Garten:
And did you do the same thing in London or was-
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah.
Ina Garten:
You did.
Stanley Tucci:
I want to be able to cook-
Ina Garten:
Facing out.
Stanley Tucci:
... talking to my family.
Ina Garten:
Yeah, exactly.
Stanley Tucci:
I spent my whole life with my back to my family, and this is much better. It's-
Ina Garten:
So much better.
Stanley Tucci:
And then when you have guests, you can cook and talk to everybody. It's nice.
Ina Garten:
And then you have a big island. Somebody can prep and I think it's much more communal. So, here's the beach. Have you been to the beach here before?
Stanley Tucci:
I have, yes. Years ago.
Ina Garten:
It's so beautiful.
Stanley Tucci:
Years ago.
Ina Garten:
Oh, it's a perfect day here.
Stanley Tucci:
This is gorgeous. Oh, this is so pretty.
Ina Garten:
And I have very good parking karma, so I found a perfect parking space.
Stanley Tucci:
Wow. Look at you. Yeah, you did.
Ina Garten:
How's that?
Stanley Tucci:
Wow. Look at that.
Ina Garten:
Okay, come with me.
Stanley Tucci:
All right. Happily.
Ina Garten:
So, do you want to sit right here?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. Yeah.
Ina Garten:
And wait for me. I'll get us some coffee.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, yeah. Great.
Ina Garten:
Okay. Fabulous.
Stanley Tucci:
Thank you.
Ina Garten:
Don't go anywhere.
Stanley Tucci:
No, I'm not. I'm not. Why would I?
Ina Garten:
Can I have two of your gorgeous cold brew, one with milk? Thank you.
Stanley Tucci:
I'm so, so excited to be here with Ina Garten. She's made everybody's lives a lot happier, including mine. I know I have a lot of friends who are very jealous that I'm here. I'm jealous that I'm here.
Ina Garten:
Okay. One cold brew coming up.
Stanley Tucci:
Ah, thank you so much.
Ina Garten:
That's for you.
Stanley Tucci:
Thank you.
Ina Garten:
They make a really good cold brew.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. This is-
Ina Garten:
How nice is this?
Stanley Tucci:
I haven't been out here for so many years and you forget how stunning these beaches are.
Ina Garten:
It's so beautiful. Especially now when everybody's gone.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. When everybody's gone. Yeah.
Ina Garten:
Okay. Are you ready for a pop quiz?
Stanley Tucci:
Always. Always.
Ina Garten:
What's the movie you've seen the most?
Stanley Tucci:
Probably Animal Crackers.
Ina Garten:
Animal Crackers. Isn't that a great choice?
Stanley Tucci:
It's a Marx Brothers movie.
Ina Garten:
Of course. That's really great. What's the one food that makes you happy?
Stanley Tucci:
Pasta.
Ina Garten:
I knew that was the answer. I could have answered it for you. What's the worst job you've ever had?
Stanley Tucci:
I did a job after my freshman year at college. I was cleaning outhouses in a camp, a summer camp.
Ina Garten:
Suffice it to say you'll never have to do that job again.
Stanley Tucci:
No, I hope not. No.
Ina Garten:
What's the best job you've ever had?
Stanley Tucci:
Probably working on The Devil Wears Prada was probably just the-
Ina Garten:
Yeah?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah.
Ina Garten:
Both working on it and afterwards, rights?
Stanley Tucci:
And afterwards. Yeah. It was just fun.
Ina Garten:
Everybody was just so out of their minds crazy about it.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. Just lovely. Yeah.
Ina Garten:
Yeah. Isn't that great?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah.
Ina Garten:
What's the best present you've ever gotten?
Stanley Tucci:
I think a beautiful watch that was given to me a long time ago.
Ina Garten:
Isn't that wonderful?
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah. With the initials of my firstborn kids on it.
Ina Garten:
Oh, how lovely. That's a good one.
Stanley Tucci:
That was lovely. Yeah.
Ina Garten:
So, if you could come back as anything at all, human or otherwise, what would you like to come back as?
Stanley Tucci:
I'd come back as parts of myself. Like a version of myself that looked like Cary Grant.
Ina Garten:
I think you're doing just fine in that department. So, maybe Cary Grant wants to look like you.
Stanley Tucci:
Yeah, maybe. Yeah. But I don't really know. I'd come back as someone who is much more relaxed than I am-
Ina Garten:
Me too.
Stanley Tucci:
... and taller, and could stay forever young.
Ina Garten:
Stanley, I've just had such a wonderful time with you, I can't tell you. Please don't leave.
Stanley Tucci:
I don't want to leave. I don't want to. I've-
Ina Garten:
Cheers.
Stanley Tucci:
... got those kids. Cheers.
Ina Garten:
Those kids. Those annoying kids.
Stanley Tucci:
Those damn kids. Cheers. And thank you so much. This has been so much fun.
Ina Garten:
Hasn't it been fun?
Stanley Tucci:
No, I just think you're amazing.
Ina Garten:
Thank you.
Stanley Tucci:
Amazing.
Ina Garten:
I think you're amazing too.
Stanley Tucci:
Thank you. Thanks for everything.
Ina Garten:
Cheers.
Stanley Tucci:
Cheers. Had the most fun day with Ina today. Made a martini. Then I made a Tuscan fish stew that she liked, thank God. And just wonderful. Wonderful, wonderful day. It was a really, really great experience. It flew by, and filming things doesn't normally just fly by. This really did. I feel very fortunate.
Ina Garten:
It was so great to meet Stanley in person. He's just amazing. And my first martini. Why do I think it's the first of many to come? What a great day.
Thank you for listening to Be My Guest. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have a moment, I'd love to hear your comments on Apple Podcasts. I'll be back next week with new episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Hope you'll join us.
Kerry Diamond:
That's it for the special episode of Be My Guest With Ina Garten. I hope you enjoyed hanging out with Ina for a little while. She is one of my favorite people to interview, so it was fun to hear Ina as the interviewer this time. Be sure to subscribe to Be My Guest With Ina Garten on your favorite podcast platform and have fun listening to Ina and friends, including Misty Copeland, Emily Blunt, and Erin French. One last thing. Be My Guest is also a TV show on Food Network. If, like me, you can't get enough Ina, you can watch Be My guest With Ina Garten on Food Network or catch all season three episodes streaming right now on Discovery Plus. They are a treat. Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. Our theme song is by the band Tralala. Thanks to our producer Catherine Baker and to our associate producer Jenna Sadhu. We'll be back with an episode of Radio Cherry Bombe very soon. In the meantime, Ina's the Bombe. You are the Bombe. We're all the Bombe. Bye, everybody.