‘I tried to get out’

Stanley Tucci can do it all.

The 62-year-old actor is known for his diverse and memorable characters in films ranging from comedies to dramas. With over 130 acting credits to his name, per his IMDB page, there’s one role that he would never like to play again.

“I would not play George Harvey again in ‘The Lovely Bones,’ which was horrible,” Tucci told Entertainment Tonight. “It’s a wonderful movie, but it was a tough experience. Simply because of the role.”

Directed by Peter Jackson, “The Lovely Bones” is an adaptation of Alice Sebold’s best-selling novel of the same name. It follows a young girl, Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), who has been murdered and watches over her family and killer George Harvey from the beyond.

The “Citadel” actor admitted that he attempted to leave the role but was persuaded to stay by the director.

“I asked Peter Jackson why he cast me in that role. I tried to get out of playing the role, which is crazy because I needed a job,” he said. “I was like, ‘Why do you want me?’ And he said, ‘Because you’re funny.’ And I thought, ‘OK.’ But I understand what he was saying.”

“I think what he meant was… not that I wouldn’t be serious about it, but that I wouldn’t be overly dramatic about it,” he continued. “That I would throw it away a bit. Which is what you have to do when you’re playing somebody who’s that awful, right?”

The role of the serial killer would earn Tucci his first Oscar nomination in the best supporting actor category at the 2010 awards ceremony.

Tucci, meanwhile, did share the roles that he would “happily” reprise — and they’re more lighthearted.

“I would happily play Nigel in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ again. It was a really great experience,” Tucci said of his art director part in the 2006 film.

When asked if there would be a chance to do a sequel to the Anne Hathaway-starring film, he replied, “I think they’ve talked about it a lot, but I’m not seeing anything happening yet.”

Additionally, the actor also noted another “wonderful role” he could see himself reprising.

“I would play Paul Child again, when we did ‘Julie & Julia,’” he said of the 2010 movie in which he played Meryl Streep’s husband. “Those are really wonderful roles to play.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com