Tom Hanks has had more iconic roles than most actors have had roles. From Big, to Forrest Gump, to Saving Private Ryan, to 2022’s Elvis, Tom has played countless characters spanning across different genres and different decades. In this wide-ranging interview, Tom discusses the trajectory of his career, the importance of bringing his own ideas to the films he’s acted in, and how he has managed to stave off self-consciousness while remaining as authentic as possible..
Chapters:
00:00 - Guy’s intro of his guest, Tom Hanks
01:55 - Guy and Tom discuss his “disruptive” childhood
08:20 - Tom finds “magic” and possibility in all the moving around he did as a kid
11:30 - Tom gets interested in theater in high school
15:50 - Tom praises his theater mentor for planting the seed to become an actor
20:00 - Tom takes college drama classes regularly, exposing him to professional theater in San Francisco
22:00 How not getting a role led to Tom’s first big break
26:40 Moving to New York City to become a theater actor
32:00 Starting his TV career in Los Angeles
36:00 Physical comedy on the show Bosom Buddies
44:00 Getting cast on Splash and working with Ron Howard
49:40 The art of collaboration on a movie set
55:35 How Tom reads scripts and decides which projects to pursue
59:00 Playing Elvis Presley’s manager, Col Tom Parker, in Elvis (2022)
1:21:30 What Tom learned about self-consciousness from baseball legend Joe Dimaggio
1:27:00 Getting better as an actor
1:32:00 Walking the line between truth and falsehood in his work
1:41:00 What motivates Tom
1:44:00 His thoughts on privacy, celebrity, and being a public figure
1:55:00 The movie lines lines fans yell at Tom most often
1:59:13 Guy’s outro
The Great Creators with Guy Raz:
Where does creativity come from? Is it a gift, or can it be learned? Guy Raz puts those questions to some of the most celebrated creative people in the world. Each week, Guy sits down with notable performers – from legendary actors and comedians to chart-topping musicians – to trace their life’s journey, dive deep into their work, and illuminate the source of their creativity.
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