Over the past 30+ years, Tom Hanks has cemented his status as one of the greatest actors of all time. He’s won two Oscars, seven Emmys, and four Golden Globes. He’s starred in numerous massive blockbusters and is one of the only bankable “movie stars” still working today. But in recent years, when you look back at some of his most beloved films, you wouldn’t be wrong to view them a little differently than when they came out.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Tom Hanks talks about the legacy of a couple of his most critically acclaimed roles in his career— “Forrest Gump” and “Philadelphia.” The latter comes down to a casting issue we’ve seen discussed quite a bit over the past few years. However, when it comes to ‘Gump,’ the discussion is multi-faceted, including one big debate about whether or not it deserved to win the Best Picture Oscar in 1995.
You see, 1994 was a huge year for films. Not only was “Forrest Gump” a runaway blockbuster, but that year also saw the release of “Shawshank Redemption,” “The Lion King,” and “Pulp Fiction,” just to name a few. And it’s that latter film that gets mentioned alongside “Forrest Gump” quite often, as many film fans think Quentin Tarantino’s feature deserved the Best Picture Oscar way more than Robert Zemeckis’ nostalgia-driven drama. Hanks doesn’t necessarily agree with that sentiment.
“The problem with ‘Forrest Gump’ is it made a billion dollars,” said Hanks. “If we’d just made a successful movie, Bob and I would have been geniuses. But because we made a wildly successful movie, we were diabolical geniuses. Is it a bad problem to have? No, but there’s books of the greatest movies of all time, and ‘Forrest Gump’ doesn’t appear because, oh, it’s this sappy nostalgia fest.”
He added, “Every year there’s an article that goes, ‘The Movie That Should Have Won Best Picture’ and it’s always ‘Pulp Fiction.’ ‘Pulp Fiction’ is a masterpiece without a doubt. Look, I don’t know, but there is a moment of undeniable heartbreaking humanity in ‘Forrest Gump’ when Gary Sinise — he’s playing Lieutenant Dan — and his Asian wife walk up to our house on the day that Forrest and Jenny get married…Then I look at him, and I say, ‘Lieutenant Dan.’ I might get weepy thinking about it now. Forrest and Lieutenant Dan in those four words — ‘magic legs’; ‘Lieutenant Dan’ — understand all they had been through and feel gratitude for every ounce of pain and tragedy that they survived. That’s some intangible [expletive] right there. That is not just running along to Duane Eddy’s ‘Rebel Rouser.’”
As for “Philadelphia,” Hanks understands that his role as a gay lawyer with AIDS would be a bit of problematic casting in 2022. The actor admits that it probably wasn’t the best choice, but having Tom Hanks as the lead also helped people be less “afraid” of watching the film.
“No, and rightly so,” explained Hanks about whether or not a straight man should have the lead role. “The whole point of ‘Philadelphia’ was don’t be afraid. One of the reasons people weren’t afraid of that movie is that I was playing a gay man. We’re beyond that now, and I don’t think people would accept the inauthenticity of a straight guy playing a gay guy. It’s not a crime, it’s not boohoo, that someone would say we are going to demand more of a movie in the modern realm of authenticity. Do I sound like I’m preaching? I don’t mean to.”
Obviously, Hanks would go on to have nearly 30 more years of massive roles after these two award-winning features. And hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. Regardless, it’s interesting to see Hanks speak so openly and honestly after two of his most beloved performances.
Hanks will next be seen in the upcoming “Elvis,” which hits theaters on June 24.