Sampurna Banerjee
Tom Hanks is undeniably one of the greatest Hollywood actors in the history of cinema. Over the course of his long career, the actor has contributed his magic to over a hundred movies on the big screen. And even as time marches on, he still remains a force to reckon with. It all began at his high school when he accidentally stumbled upon acting classes.
Initially, Hanks couldn’t fathom acting as a serious money-making career, and a subject to be studied, until he joined the profession at a very young age. Ironically, this very profession catapulted him towards stardom in his later years, and thus in a THR roundtable interview, the actor revealed the aspect of the profession that still surprises him.
Tom Hanks Didn’t Think Acting Classes Were a Real Thing
In a 2018 The Hollywood Reporter Roundtable interview, the Forest Gump actor revealed his relationship with acting and what initially surprised him about this profession. Speaking in the roundtable talk, he said,
“I think that its still just as much as it was from the fisrt time I figured it out that people took it seriously. I mean when I was at whatever level you’re at. When I was in high school and I found out this was a class you cloud take. Are you kidding me? As opposed to drafting or sociology or accounting? You get credit for this? Well first of all that’s \the greatest racket that I’ve heard of”
In his early days when a young Tom Hanks first crossed paths with the fascinating world of acting, he was baffled to learn and discover that people held it in such a high regard and considered it as such a noble profession. It left him bewildered to think that something as seemingly playful as playing pretend could be taken so seriously in this world.
Ultimately earning the utmost respect from those within the industry. This marked the beginning of an epic journey. The actor admits that acting to him is still as interesting and surprising as it was back in the day and thus is grateful for every opportunity he has ever received.
How Did Tom Hanks Start Acting?
In a Playboy interview, the actor discussed in detail, the decision that ultimately changed his life completely. He stated,
“I took a drama class that determined my career. In the course of ten weeks, I saw five completely different types of theater,–I felt that the theater was as magical a place as existed, and I wanted to be involved in it. So I majored in theater arts. After I saw a Berkeley Repertory Theater production of The Iceman Cometh, I knew I’d do anything to be a part of it.”
Since then Hanks was hooked, initially contributing behind the scenes, the actor slowly moved to the center stage and the rest is history. Eventually, he took a leap of faith and moved to New York, aiming to pursue acting as a full-time profession. Although it wasn’t a smooth ride always, his perseverance and determination led him to places he could not even imagine to begin with.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
