You may know Stanley Tucci as the chameleon of an actor playing everyone from Paul Child in Julie & Julia to Caesar Flickerman in The Hunger Games to the terrifying George Harvey in The Lovely Bones, but we here at Delish revere him as the king of quarantine cocktails and quite the at-home chef. On top of releasing a memoir, Taste, and working on the upcoming second season of his CNN show Searching for Italy, Stanley has been busy. Between delicious meals cooked and shared on his Instagram (my most recent fave is the truffle risotto—decadent and simple), Stanley has partnered up with sparkling water company S. Pellegrino to “spread mutual endearment of all things Italian,” he said.
This partnership aims to celebrate true Italian virtues—community, friendship, and joy—through a cinematic commercial shot at the source, San Pellegrino Terme. The scenes show a group of friends enjoying some insanely delicious-looking shellfish, then a breathtaking picnic in the Italian mountains, and an evening in a glamorous casino, all enjoyed with a glass of S. Pellegrino sparkling mineral water.
While shooting this campaign video, the team on-site started chatting about “Stan Pellegrino” as a playful nod to the collaboration, and a special bottle paying tribute to the two icons was born. Each set comes with a limited-edition “Stan Pellegrino” bottle with Stanley’s engraved autograph, an S. Pellegrino cutting board, and a pair of stemless water glasses. How clever and classy does that sound? For a chance to win one of these sets, visit stanleytucci.sanpellegrino.com/campaign.
Delish chatted with Stanley over email to get all the deets on the partnership, his fave place to eat, and what part of the world he wants to explore next.
Tell me all about Stan Pellegrino!
It started as a tongue-and-cheek nod to our collaboration at the shoot, and then it caught on.
Because Italian cuisine, like most, is very regional, do you feel like when you are able to taste a dish from a specific region that in a way you are visiting there?
Yes absolutely, because the flavors come from the ingredients, and those ingredients come from that region.
What country do you want to do a deep dive on after Italy?
I would like to explore Scandinavia!
Exciting! Where’s your favorite Italian food in America?
My parents' house.
Of course. When was the last time you ate fast food, and what was it?
I won't even mention it!
Ooo secretive, okay. What’s the secret to your amazing skin? Do you secretly glug olive oil or something?
Genetics and moisturizing a lot…particularly with La Mer.
Did you eat all the food in Big Night?
The food on the set of Big Night was barely edible, sadly. It was made without seasoning so it would last longer. The cast did some very good acting!
