At 65, Stanley Tucci Is Ready to Headline Took, His Own Taken-Style Thriller

Stanley Tucci is out here making the case that it's never too late to teach an old dog new spy tricks – even if he's mostly joking. During a recent chat with Josh Horowitz on the 'Happy, Sad, Confused' podcast, Tucci got talking about his turn in 'Citadel' and the whole idea of jumping into a gritty, Liam Neeson-style action movie at age 65. That's right, the man behind ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ is now contemplating his own geriatric ass-kicker franchise. Sort of.

Citadel Season 2: Tucci Finally Gets in on the Action

First, let’s talk 'Citadel.' In case you missed it, this Amazon Prime spy series features Tucci as Bernard Orlick, one of the brains behind an undercover agent squad that includes Richard Madden’s brooding Mason Kane and Priyanka Chopra Jonas' Nadia.

Now, if you watched Season 1 and thought, 'Wait, wasn’t Tucci mostly behind a desk?' – you’re not wrong. Tucci confirmed he didn't land any proper action scenes the first time around, partly because director Joe Russo ended up reshooting a huge chunk of the season, and apparently the action just never came his way.

That changed in a big way with Season 2. As Tucci explained it:
“And then in the second season he goes, 'Stanley, I’m going to give you… I want to do this scene where you just kill a whole lot of people.'”

So if you want to watch Stanley Tucci take out a suspiciously large number of bad guys – possibly in a single impressive shot – Season 2 has got you covered. Tucci genuinely seemed excited to finally bust a move, saying the action scenes were a 'joy' to film and that he loves getting physical for a role.

This Is Where the Taken Comparisons Come In

Josh Horowitz couldn’t help but bring up the fact that Liam Neeson became an action icon way past the age most people get their AARP cards. Tucci's reply? Well, here’s where it got funny. Not missing a beat, he declared he’d be ‘ready’ to headline his own action thriller, even tossing out a name: ‘Took,’ which is frankly the only possible parody title at this point.

Let’s be crystal clear: 'Took' is just Tucci making jokes. It doesn't actually exist, no matter how much you wish it did. Still, the 'Devil Wears Prada' star does not seem entirely opposed to the idea of going full action-hero in his senior years. And if you’re picturing Tucci dishing out a gravelly warning to a roomful of henchmen, you’re not alone.

Who's in the Citadel Cast?

• Stanley Tucci: Bernard Orlick
• Richard Madden: Mason Kane
• Priyanka Chopra Jonas: Nadia
• Lesley Manville and Ashleigh Cummings round out the original lineup
• New faces in Season 2: Jack Reynor, Merle Dandridge, Gabriel Leone, Rayna Vallandingham

'Citadel' was created by Josh Appelbaum, Bryan Oh, and David Weil. The entire second season is now streaming on Prime Video, if you want your fix of shiny spy chaos and a little Tucci-knocking-skulls-around energy.

Tucci Is Busier Than Ever

If you'd rather see him serving fashion shade instead of bullets, Tucci is also back in theaters with 'The Devil Wears Prada 2’, directed once again by David Frankel. Yes, he’s reuniting with Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, and Emily Blunt, so that’s a stacked cast if there ever was one.

So is Stanley Tucci about to become Hollywood’s next unlikely action hero? Probably not soon, but given his sense of humor and willingness to throw himself around a set, I honestly wouldn’t count him out. The man looks good in a suit, after all – tactical or otherwise.