Columbia Pictures
- Stanley Tucci spoke to Ina Garten about his 2009 film "Julie & Julia" during a virtual conference.
- He revealed that he improvised one of his most iconic lines in the movie.
- Tucci also told Garten about the dishes he would prepare if Julia Child came to dinner.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
After its release in 2009, "Julie & Julia" became a classic for food-lovers and fans of the famous TV chef Julia Child. However, even the most devoted fans of the movie might not realize that one of their favorite moments was actually improvised.
Stanley Tucci recently spilled behind-the-scenes secrets from the set of the film to celebrity chef Ina Garten. They spoke at a virtual conference celebrating the legacy of Julia Child that was hosted by Cherry Bombe on Thursday.
Tucci, who played Child's supportive husband in the movie opposite Meryl Streep, told Garten that one of his most iconic lines was made up.
In the scene, Julia Child is asking her husband, Paul, what she should do in Paris when he asks, "What is it that you really like to do?"
She responds, "Eat," to which he famously quips, "And you are so good at it. Look at you!"
"I made it up," Tucci told Garten on Thursday.
She replied, "It looked like you might have! I'm so glad it ended up in the script."
"Me too," Tucci said. "We laughed. Not every movie you make is fun to make. With this, it was a wonderful group of people. I never got to work with Amy [Adams] or Chris [Messina] sadly, but working with [Meryl Streep] again after 'The Devil Wears Prada,' we were becoming more friendly and it was just the greatest experience."
The movie earned $129.5 million at the box office worldwide, and Streep even won the award for best actress at the Golden Globes.
Tucci also revealed what he'd make if Julia and Paul Child were to come for dinner
Garten also asked Tucci, who recently released a culinary TV show titled "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy," what dishes he would prepare for the couple. Naturally, he opted for Italian cuisine.
"I certainly wouldn't make anything French," he said. "I would make what I love and what I know. I wouldn't experiment with them."
Tucci also joked that he wouldn't make a roast chicken, which Garten is famous for cooking.
"It's something that's very simple but in some ways isn't very simple," he said. "It's one of the greatest things in the world, but you have to know how to do it. I think I might make something like pasta alle vongole, which is just so simple with a few ingredients, or a cioppino. Something simple like that with toasted bread, an appetizer, and a salad. And lots of wine."
"She would love it," Garten laughed.