Stanley Tucci took roles he “didn’t necessarily want” because he “couldn’t get a job” after The Devil Wears Prada.

Despite becoming a fan favourite as Runway magazine’s art director Nigel in the box office sensation, the actor struggled to book another job after the workplace comedy-drama came out in 2006.

“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,” Tucci told Vanity Fair. “So I went and did stuff that I didn’t necessarily want to do, but I did it.”

While he didn’t name the projects, Tucci’s film credits immediately after The Devil Wears Prada include The Hoax, Four Last Songs, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl and What Just Happened. He returned to more notable roles in 2009 with Julie & Julia and The Lovely Bones.

The 63-year-old noted that he has experienced these “fluctuations” throughout his career because of either “the business” or personal reasons.

Tucci had to take time out of his career to focus on his health after he was diagnosed with oral cancer in 2018. The Hunger Games star, who is now cancer-free, admitted that he returned to work earlier than he should have.

“Having been sick six years ago, that threw a wrench into the works for a while, and then you slowly get back,” he continued. “But I had to start doing things. 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.”

Tucci’s new film is the thriller Conclave, which also stars Ralph Fiennes and John Lithgow. It will be released in U.S. cinemas on Friday.

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