Stanley Tucci has ‘no idea’ why he’s the internet’s favourite boyfriend

Stanley Tucci has admitted he has “no idea” why he has become the internet’s favourite boyfriend, joking that years in the public eye may have helped win over fans. The 65-year-old actor discussed his unexpected online popularity in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, reflecting on the viral moment that helped turn him into an internet heartthrob.

“I have no idea — I really don’t,” Tucci said when asked about his popularity. “I’m glad they are.” He added, “I don’t know, I’ve been around a long time. So maybe I just wore them down.”

Tucci traced the surge in his online fandom to the 2020 lockdown, when his wife, literary agent Felicity Blunt, encouraged him to share a video of himself making a cocktail on Instagram. The clip quickly attracted attention, transforming the actor’s image among fans and helping establish his reputation as an internet boyfriend.

“It’s all my wife’s doing,” Tucci joked, adding that he sometimes wonders whether Blunt was “trying to get rid of me”. He recalled reading the comments with his older children during lockdown and laughing at their overtly sexual nature.

“It was very funny for an older man. It was very flattering,” he said.

The actor has since continued sharing glimpses of his life beyond acting, particularly through cooking videos featuring Italian dishes. Tucci said the ideas for his food tutorials sometimes come spontaneously, while others are planned with help from Blunt, whom he credited with knowing “what to film and when to film it”.

Tucci’s internet popularity has also drawn attention from his longtime The Devil Wears Prada co-star Meryl Streep. During his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in April, Streep praised his elegance and charm, describing him as “urbane, sly and funny”. She also expressed her affection for the actor, declaring, “I’m in love with you, just like everybody else.”

Despite his online heartthrob status, Tucci offered a more domestic glimpse into his life, revealing that his family calls him “Cinderella” because of his habit of constantly cleaning the kitchen. He explained that he struggles to focus when the space is untidy and often cleans it several times a day.

Tucci is currently starring in Masterplan, a Prime Video film in which he plays Roger, a master thief who recruits two strangers for a heist targeting the Mona Lisa before revealing their family connection. The actor said he was drawn to the project by its unusual humour, complex character and resemblance to classic heist films from the 1960s and 1970s.

As his popularity continues to reach audiences beyond his film roles, Tucci said he has become more comfortable being himself on camera. For the actor, that shift has come with age and experience, even if the internet’s enthusiasm for him remains something of a mystery.