Stanley Tucci says he 'couldn't get a job' after appearing in 'The Devil Wears Prada' despite its success

• Stanley Tucci told Vanity Fair he "couldn't get a job" after appearing in "The Devil Wears Prada."
• The actor played Nigel, the art director of a top fashion magazine in the 2006 film.

Stanley Tucci says he struggled to find work after appearing in "The Devil Wears Prada" alongside Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.

The 2006 movie follows Andrea Sachs, played by Hathaway, as she starts working for Miranda Priestly (Streep), the fierce editor of a fashion magazine called Runway. Tucci played Nigel, its art director who helps Andrea find her feet in the fast-paced world of fashion.

The film was both a critical and commercial success. Streep and Patricia Field were nominated for best actress and best costume design, respectively, at the Oscars, and the film made $326 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

In an interview with Vanity Fair published on Tuesday, Tucci said that despite the film's success he struggled to land another role afterwards.

"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. So I went and did stuff that I didn't necessarily want to do, but I did it," he told the magazine.

The actor explained that it is sometimes the nature of Hollywood, and it can be hard to get back into regular work, noting his own difficulties recovering from an illness.

"My career has always gone through these fluctuations, and sometimes it's just the business. Sometimes it was personal reasons why you can't work. Having been sick six years ago, that threw a wrench into the works for a while, and then you slowly get back," Tucci said.

"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 has had something of a career resurgence in recent years, starring in movies including "The Witches," "Supernova," and "Conclave" this year.

He also pivoted to focus on his passion for food as a gourmand. Tucci traveled around Italy for the CNN series "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy," which went on to pick up an Emmy award.

He recently filmed a new food and travel series for National Geographic titled "Tucci: The Heart of Italy," Forbes reported, and has written several books about food, including "What I Ate In One Year (and related thoughts)."