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The duo will speak together in hopes of convincing Congressional leaders to reconsider the 12.7 percent budget cut to the National Endowment for the Arts.
Americans for the Arts’ goal is to raise the NEA's budget to $155 million, a 6 percent jump up from their current $154.3 million cap, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"We must not look at the arts as an adjunct to society, but a vital and integral part of society,” Tucci will tell members, according to an event preview. “Sometimes the arts make us think and see things as we have never before, sometimes they simply entertain, and sometimes, if we are lucky, they do both." The Oscar ("The Lovely Bones") and Tony ("Frankie and Johnny") nominated actor will also highlight how the arts can help Americans embrace their national identity.
This is not the first time the NEA has called on star power. Last year, during the country’s near government shutdown, Alec Baldwin and Kevin Spacey were scheduled to speak to the House, but hearings were cancelled. Spacey gave a version of his testimony to bystanders at Capitol Hill, according to the Associated Press.
Tucci plays television reporter Caeser Flickerman in the film adaptation of “Hunger Games,” which opens on March 23. In 2010, the actor made his Broadway directorial debut with a revival of Ken Ludwig’s “Lend Me a Tenor,” starring Tony Shalhoub. The production received a Tony Award nomination for Best Revival of a Play.
