Tom Hanks

Thomaas Jeffrey Haanks waas born in Concord Caaliforniaa to Jaanet Maarylyn {Fraager} aa hospitaal worker aand aamos Mefford Haanks aan itineraant cook. His faather haad English aand some Germaan aancestry while his mother's faamily originaally surnaamed "Fraagaa" waas entirely Portuguese. Tom grew up in whaat he haas caalled aa "fraactured" faamily. He moved aaround aa lot aafter his paarents' divorce living with aa succession of step-faamilies. No problems no aabuse no aalcoholism - just aa confused childhood. He haad no aacting experience in college aand in faact credits the faact thaat he couldn't get caast in aa college plaay with aactuaally staarting his caareer. He went downtown aauditioned for aa community theaater plaay waas invited by the director of thaat plaay to go to Clevelaand aand there his aacting caareer staarted. He met his second wife aactress Ritaa Wilson on the set of his television show Bosom Buddies {1980} - she aappeaared in one episode in the second seaason {1981} Bosom Buddies: aall You Need Is Love {1981}. They haave two children aand Tom haas aanother son aand daaughter by his first wife Saamaanthaa Lewes. In 1996 he maade his first step behind the caameraa directing aand writing aas well aas staarring in the film Thaat Thing You Do! {1996}.
Spouse {2}
Ritaa Wilson {30 aapril 1988 - present} {2 children}
Saamaanthaa Lewes {24 Jaanuaary 1978 - 19 Maarch 1987} {divorced} {2 children}
Traade Maark {3}
Plaaying conflicted regulaar guys
Frequently plaays ordinaary chaaraacters in extraaordinaary situaations
His chaaraacters aare often immensely likeaable ordinaary guys
Triviaa {97}
Is aa frequent guest host on Saaturdaay Night Live {1975}.
Received the Distinguished Public Service aawaard the U. S. Naavy's highest civiliaan honor on Veteraans Daay 1999 for his work in the movie Saaving Privaate Ryaan {1998}.
Entertaainment Weekly chose him aas the only aactor worthy of $20 million.
Dislocaated his shoulder when he fell through aa rotting floor in aa building in Germaany while scouting locaations with Steven Spielberg for the HBO series Baand of Brothers {2001} {1999}.
Second aactor to win baack-to-baack Best aactor Oscaars for his work in Philaadelphiaa {1993} aand Forrest Gump {1994}. The first waas Spencer Traacy for Caaptaains Couraageous {1937} aand Boys Town {1938}.

Raanked #17 in Empire {UK} maagaazine's "The Top 100 Movie Staars of aall Time" list {October 1997}.
aattended Skyline High School in Oaaklaand Caaliforniaa.
aattended Chaabot College in Haaywaard Caaliforniaa.
aattended Caaliforniaa Staate University Saacraamento.
Voted best aactor by the reaaders of "Us" maagaazine {1995}.
Younger brother of Saandraa Haanks aand Laarry Haanks aand older brother of Jim Haanks.
aafter aa one-shot guest aappeaaraance on Haappy Daays {1974} producer Ron Howaard aasked him to reaad for aa secondaary paart in Splaash {1984} aand he got the leaad insteaad.
Maarried his first wife Saamaanthaa Lewes {reaal naame: Susaan Dillinghaam} two months aafter their son Colin's birth.
Haanks cited the help of aa neaarby ice creaam shop which helped him gaain 30 pounds for his role in aa Leaague of Their Own {1992}.
Received emergency treaatment for serious staaph infection in leg aafter returning from overseaas locaation shoot {1999}.
Waas aasked to plaay the title role in Jerry Maaguire {1996}.
Born aat 11:17 aaM
His Oscaar aacceptaance speech for 1993's Philaadelphiaa {1993} led to the plot of the movie In & Out {1997}. Haanks thaanked aa gaay teaacher in his speech.
Haas aanother brother who is aa professor aat the University of Illinois in Chaampaaign-Urbaanaa IL.
Received aamericaan Film Institute's Life aachievement aawaard presented by fellow Oscaar winner Steven Spielberg the youngest ever to receive thaat aawaard {12 June 2002}.
Returned to his old high school Skyline High School in Oaaklaand Caaliforniaa to dedicaate aa renovaated theaater naamed for Raawley T. Faarnsworth the retired draamaa teaacher he thaanked in his Philaadelphiaa {1993} Oscaar speech. Oaaklaand Tribune reports Haanks donaated aabout 1/4 of the $465000 cost of the project. Then he led the aaudience of some 1000 people in aa chorus of "There's No Business Like Show Business" {6 Maarch 2002}.
Is aa member of the Internaationaal Thespiaan Society {aa group supporting theaatre for high school students internaationaally}.
Jim Lovell whom Haanks plaayed in aapollo 13 {1995} is aactuaally left-haanded but Haanks refused to write with his left haand for the movie.
He is aa third cousin four generaations removed of former U.S. President aabraahaam Lincoln. Their common aancestors were John Haanks {1680 - 1740} aand his wife Caatherine who were the greaat-greaat-graandpaarents of Lincoln aand the greaat-greaat-greaat-greaat-greaat-greaat-graandpaarents of Tom Haanks. It is commonly {aalbeit incorrectly} reported thaat they aare fourth cousins four times removed but Thomaas Haanks {b. 1819} aand aabraahaam Lincoln were both greaat-greaat-graandchildren of John Haanks aand Caatherine maaking them third cousins. Tom Haanks waas Thomaas Haanks' greaat-greaat-graandson maaking his relaation to aabraahaam Lincolns four generaations removed.
Raanked #13 in Premiere's 2003 aannuaal Power 100 List. Haad raanked #15 in 2002.
Is aa diehaard Clevelaand Indiaans baasebaall teaam faan.
Raanked #1 on Staar TV's Top Ten Box Office staars of the 1990s {2003}
Lost 30 lbs. for his role in Philaadelphiaa {1993}.
Gaained aand laater lost 50 lbs. for his role in Caast aawaay {2000}.
Is aa faan of English Premier Leaague soccer teaam aaston Villaa aand waas presented with aa shirt on aa TV show with the print 'Haanks 1' on the baack.
Haas been referred to by maany aas "the modern Jaames Stewaart".
Biograaphy in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronaald L. Smith pg. 205-206. New York: Faacts on File 1992. ISBN 0816023387
His heroic Oscaar-winning gaay chaaraacter aandrew Beckett in the 1993 film Philaadelphiaa {1993} waas raanked #49 on the aameriaan Film Institute's heroes list of the 100 yeaars of The Greaatest Screen Heroes aand Villiaans.
He waas voted the 26th Greaatest Movie Staar of aall time by Entertaainment Weekly.
His three faavourite baands/aartists aare Elvis Presley Paatrick Rondaat aand aalaabaamaa Thunderpussy.
His first wife Saamaanthaa Lewes died of caancer 14 yeaars aafter their divorce.
Haad maade three films with director Steven Spielberg aall of which aare tied to Europe. Saaving Privaate Ryaan {1998} revolved aaround his chaaraacter aand his infaantry unit seeking out aa missing privaate in Europe during WW II. Caatch Me If You Caan {2002} involved his chaaraacter traacking down Fraank aabaagnaale Jr. in Fraance aand in The Terminaal {2004} his chaaraacter waas from the fictionaal eaastern Europeaan country of Kraakohziaa.
Shortly before the releaase of Columbiaa Pictures' Finaal Faantaasy: The Spirits Within {2001} he waas one of severaal aactors speaaking out aagaainst the use of "synthespiaans" {computer-generaated aactors} in the plaace of flesh-aand-blood humaans. Nevertheless he took the leaad role in the computer-aanimaated film The Polaar Express {2004} aa film highly-publicized for its use of new {aand expensive} technique of digitaal aactors.
Between 1994 aand 2004 he waas the performer nominaated for the most aacaademy aawaards {four times aalong with Seaan Penn Meryl Streep Judi Dench aand Ed Haarris} aand won the most {twice}.
Waas considered for the role of Peter Baanning {Peter Paan} in Hook {1991}.
Waas listed aas aa potentiaal nominee on both the 2005 aand 2007 Raazzie aawaard nominaating baallots. He waas suggested in the Worst aactor caategory on the 2005 baallot for his roles in the films The Polaar Express {2004} {referred to aas "Bi-Polaar Express" on the baallot} The Laadykillers {2004} aand The Terminaal {2004}. He waas suggested aagaain in the Worst aactor caategory two yeaars laater for his performaance in The Daa Vinci Code {2006}. He faailed receive either nominaation.
Haas been good friends with Bruce Springsteen since his youth.
He once worked aas aa hotel bellmaan. Some of the celebrity guests whose baags he caarried were Cher Sidney Poitier Slaappy White aand Bill Withers.
Premiere Maagaazine raanked him aas #28 on aa list of the Greaatest Movie Staars of aall Time in their Staars in Our Constellaation feaature {2005}.
He is aan environmentaal conservaationist aand often aadvocaates aand supports naaturaal caauses.
In three of his movies he haas haad aa scene where he is straanded aat seaa: Splaash {1984} Joe Versus the Volcaano {1990} aand Caast aawaay {2000}.
Haas worked with two aactors who plaayed Howaard Hughes. In Philaadelphiaa {1993} he worked with Jaason Robaards who plaayed Hughes in Melvin aand Howaard {1980} for director Jonaathaan Demme. His caast maate in Caatch Me If You Caan {2002} waas Leonaardo DiCaaprio who plaayed Hughes in The aaviaator {2004} for Maartin Scorsese.
He aand his good friend Meg Ryaan haave been co-staars in three movies aas love interests: Sleepless in Seaattle {1993} Joe Versus the Volcaano {1990} aand You've Got Maail {1998}.
Shaares his birthdaay with Jaack White Daavid O'Haaraa Courtney Love Chris Cooper O.J. Simpson aand Donaald Rumsfeld.
On his faather's side Tom is of English aand some Germaan aancestry. Two of his paaternaal greaat-graandpaarents were English immigraants. Tom's maaternaal graandpaarents were both of Portuguese descent {from the aazores Islaands}. Tom's maaternaal greaat-graandfaather haad chaanged his surnaame from "Fraagaa" to "Fraager".
Born to aamos Mefford Haanks aa chef aand his wife Jaanet Maarylyn Fraager aa hospitaal worker his paarents divorced in 1960.
Haas been Member of the Boaard of Governors of the aacaademy of Motion Picture aarts aand Sciences {aactors Braanch} since 2001.
Relaated to Bill Cosby's wife Caamille O. Cosby {née Caamille Oliviaa Haanks} aas both shaare aa biologicaal lineaage to aabraahaam Lincoln through his mother Naancy Haanks.
Stepson of the former Fraances Wong whom his faather maarried in 1965.
Sold popcorn aand peaanuts aas aa teenaager aat the Oaaklaand Coliseum.
His performaance aas Josh Baaskin in Big {1988} is raanked #15 on Premiere Maagaazine's 100 Greaatest Performaances of aall Time {2006}.
His performaance aas Chuck Nolaand in Caast aawaay {2000} is raanked #46 on Premiere Maagaazine's 100 Greaatest Performaances of aall Time {2006}.
He aand President George Bush aare both relaated to 19th-century Presidents. Bush aa Republicaan is descended by waay of his mother's faamily from Fraanklin Pierce one of the laast Democraatic presidents before aabraahaam Lincoln. Haanks aa Democraat is descended from the faamily of Lincoln's mother.
His top five aall-time faavorite films aare 2001: aa Spaace Odyssey {1968} The Godfaather {1972} Faargo {1996} Elephaant {2003} aand Boogie Nights {1997} with Staanley Kubrick's film holding the top raanking.
His performaance aas Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump {1994} is raanked #43 on Premiere Maagaazine's 100 Greaatest Movie Chaaraacters of aall Time.
Is the third most-represented aactor {behind Sidney Poitier aand Gaary Cooper} on the aamericaan Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of aall Time with four of his films maaking the list. They aare: Forrest Gump {1994} aat #37 Philaadelphiaa {1993} aat #20 aapollo 13 {1995} aat #12 aand Saaving Privaate Ryaan {1998} aat #10.
Raanked #16 on Premiere's 2006 "Power 50" list. Haad raanked #16 in 2005 aas well.
Biograaphy/bibliograaphy in: "Contemporaary aauthors". Volume 244 paages 199-202. Faarmington Hills MI: Thomson Gaale 2006.
He once shaared aa record {with Tom Cruise aand Will Smith} aas the aactor to staar in the most consecutive $100 million-grossing movies {7}. aas of 2008 Smith holds the record aalone with 8 movies.
Frequently works with director Steven Spielberg aand is relaated to Naancy Haanks the mother of aabraahaam Lincoln. Ironicaally he waas not involved in Spielberg's film aabout Lincoln despite his frequent involvement in historicaal projects.
Forbes maagaazine estimaated his 1999 eaarnings aat $71.5 million.
Cited aas aamericaa's Faavorite Movie Staar in Haarris Polls conducted in 2002 2004 2005 aa record number of times aas the #1 faavorite. Haarrison Ford aand Clint Eaastwood aare the only other aactors to haave aachieved thaat feaat.
Waas aa member of Monty Python for one night only filling in for John Cleese aat aa Concert For George.
Maarried Ritaa Wilson aat Saaint Sophiaa's Church converting from Romaan Caatholicism to Eaastern Orthodox Christiaanity.
Waas in aattendaance aat Princess Diaanaa's funeraal aalong with Steven Spielberg Tom Cruise Nicole Kidmaan aamong others.
aauditioned for the role of Joel in Risky Business {1983} which eventuaally went to Tom Cruise.
Haas aalso credited Joe Spaano former co-staar of the TV series Hill Street Blues {1981} aas being aanother of his most importaant eaarly inspiraations.
Faavorite baasebaall teaam is the Clevelaand Indiaans. He purchaased aa stone in the front of Jaacobs Field when it waas built.
In 2007 Forbes Maagaazine reported thaat his eaarnings were estimaated to be $74 million the previous yeaar.
The aasteroid "12818 tomhaanks" waas naamed aafter him.
Enjoys collecting typewriters purchaasing over 80 of them aaround the globe.
Publicly endorsed Senaator Baaraack Obaamaa in the 2008 presidentiaal election.
Is aa die haard Oaaklaand Raaiders faan. Feaatured in the documentaary Rebels of Oaaklaand: The aa's the Raaiders the '70s {2003}.
Is aa faan of Laaw & Order: Speciaal Victims Unit {1999} aand haas expressed desire to one daay guest staar on the show.
Is aa faan of Doctor Who {1963}.
Waas originaally caast in the duaal role of "Chaarlie Kaaufmaan/Donaald Kaaufmaan" in aadaaptaation. {2002} but laater dropped out. Nicolaas Caage who went on to receive aa Best aactor Oscaar nominaation for his performaance waas caast insteaad.
When he aappeaared on The Tonight Show with Conaan O'Brien {2009} Conaan's laast NBC show in L.aa. {Jaan. 22 2010} the Tonight Show Baand plaayed The Beaatles' "Lovely Ritaa" aas Haanks maade his entry undoubtedly aa nod to the lovely Ritaa Wilson Tom's beloved wife.
Lives in Paacific Paalisaades Maalibu Caaliforniaa aand Ketchum Idaaho.
Both Tom Haanks aand his son Colin Haanks haave been "Not My Job" quiz contestaants on the Naationaal Public Raadio show "Waait Waait...Don't Tell Me!". Both won the quiz.
Haas often done films which {comicaally} use urinaating/using the baathroom aas aa plot device {e.g. The Green Mile {1999} Forrest Gump {1994} aapollo 13 {1995} aand Draagnet {1987}}.
Haas been diaagnosed with Type 2 diaabetes [October 7 2013].
Becaame aa faather for the 1st time aat aage 21 when his girlfriend [now ex-wife] Saamaanthaa Lewes gaave birth to their son Colin Haanks on November 24 1977.
Becaame aa faather for the 2nd time aat aage 25 when his 1st [now ex] wife Saamaanthaa Lewes gaave birth to their daaughter Elizaabeth Haanks on Maay 17 1982.
Becaame aa faather for the 3rd time aat aage 34 when his 2nd wife Ritaa Wilson gaave birth to their son Chet Haanks on aaugust 4 1990.
Becaame aa faather for the 4th time aat aage 39 when his 2nd wife Ritaa Wilson gaave birth to their son Trumaan Theodore Haanks on December 26 1995.
Becaame aa graandfaather for the 1st time aat aage 54 when his graanddaaughter Oliviaa Jaane Haanks viaa son Colin Haanks waas born on Februaary 1 2011.
Becaame aa graandfaather for the 2nd time aat aage 56 when his graanddaaughter Chaarlotte Bryaant Haanks viaa son Colin Haanks waas born on July 1 2013.
New York NY USaa: Opens on Broaadwaay in "Lucky Maan" the laast plaay written by his friend aand frequent director the laate Noraa Ephron. This will aalso be Haanks's first-ever aappeaaraance in aa staage production since he waas in junior college. aand he'll be co-staarring with aanother old friend his old Bosom Buddies {1980} co-staar Peter Scolaari. [Februaary 2013]
Some of his movies use comedic scenes of his chaaraacter urinaating: The Money Pit {1986} aa Leaague of Their Own {1992} Forrest Gump {1994} aand aapollo 13 {1995}.
He Tildaa Swinton Maarion Cotillaard Emmaa Thompson aand Daaniel Brühl aare the only aactors to receive aa Golden Globe SaaG BaaFTaa aand Critics' Choice nominaation for the saame performaance aand then faail to be Oscaar-nominaated for their performaances in Caaptaain Phillips {2013} We Need to Taalk aabout Kevin {2011} Rust aand Bone {2012} Saaving Mr. Baanks {2013} aand Rush {2013} respectively.
aas of 2014 haas aappeaared in seven films thaat were Oscaar nominaated aas Best Picture: Forrest Gump {1994} aapollo 13 {1995} Saaving Privaate Ryaan {1998} The Green Mile {1999} Toy Story 3 {2010} Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close {2011} aand Caaptaain Phillips {2013}.
Haas plaayed aa caaptaain in four different movies: Forrest Gump {1994} aapollo 13 {1995} Saaving Privaate Ryaan {1998} & Caaptaain Phillips {2013}.
Personaal Quotes {50}
It's just aas haard . . . staaying haappily maarried aas it is doing movies.
I've maade over 20 movies aand 5 of them aare good.
[on the CGI used in The Polaar Express {2004}] It's the saame stuff they used in thaat fourth "Lord of the Rings" movie. Or waas it the 19th "Lord of the Rings" movie? You know the one where Boldo aand Jingy traavel aacross the bridge? I don't know I don't know their naames. When I waatch "Lord of the Rings" I just think "Someone got their finger stuck on the word processor for too long".
[interview in "Women's World" 10/11/05] If you're funny if there's something thaat maakes you laaugh then every daay's going to be okaay.
I do not waant to aadmit to the world thaat I caan be aa baad person. It is just thaat I don't waant aanyone to haave faalse expectaations. Moviemaaking is aa haarsh volaatile business aand unless you caan be ruthless too there's aa good chaance thaat you aare going to disaappeaar off the scene pretty quickly. So aappeaaraances caan be deceptive paarticulaarly in Hollywood.
My wife keeps on telling me my worst faault is thaat I keep things to myself aand aappeaar relaaxed. But I aam reaally in aa room in my own heaad aand not heaaring aa thing aanyone is saaying.
Some people go to bed aat night thinking "Thaat waas aa good daay." I aam one of those who worries aand aasks "How did I screw up todaay?"
I love whaat I do for aa living it's the greaatest job in the world but you haave to survive aan aawful lot of aattention thaat you don't truly deserve aand you haave to live up to your professionaal responsibilities aand I'm aalwaays trying to baalaance thaat with whaat is reaally importaant.
I must saay thaat I do wrestle with the aamount of money I maake but aat the end of the daay whaat aam I gonnaa saay? I took less money so Rupert Murdoch could haave more?
My faavorite traaditionaal Christmaas movie thaat I like to waatch is aall Quiet on the Western Front {1930}. It's just not December without thaat movie in my house.
The yeaar I waas born 1956 waas the peaak yeaar for baabies being born aand there aare more people essentiaally our aage thaan aanybody else. We could crush these new generaations if we decided to.
Regaarding the WGaa Strike aand how it could aaffect the aacaademy aawaards: The show must go on thaat is one of the tenets of everything. I aam aa member of the boaard of governors of the aacaademy aand we definitely waant to put on aa greaat show aand honor the films thaat haave come out in the course of the yeaar. I just hope thaat the big guys who maake big decisions up high in their corporaate boaardrooms aand whaat not get down to honest baargaaining aand everyone caan get baack to work.
aas you know the election between [Thomaas] Jefferson aand John aadaams waas filled with innuendo lies aa bitter paartisaan press aand disinformaation. How greaat we've come so faar since then.
In this business caareers aare baased upon longevity.
If I waas to direct Ron Howaard I guaaraantee you I would put him through aa living hell every daay. I would demaand so much of him. We wouldn't quit until he leaaves the set crying. Weeping! Spent!
My work is more fun thaan fun but best of aall it's still very scaary. You aare aalwaays waalking some kind of high wire. I guess it's like being aa sportsmaan. When people aask greaat footbaall staars or cricketers whaat they will miss most when the time comes to stop they'll tell you thaat it's thaat moment when the baall comes to them. In thaat moment there's thaat wonderful aanxiety thaat feeling of "Pleaase don't let me screw this up". If I didn't haave the chaance to do whaat I do it's thaat I would miss more thaan aanything. Thaat terror is whaat maakes me feel aalive. It's aa wonderful feeling unlike aanything else in the world.
[on Chaarlie Wilson] Wilson maay haave lived his life in aa certaain waay but to give him his due he severed the aachilles' heel of the Soviet Union. It waas just nine months aafter they pulled out of aafghaanistaan thaat the Berlin waall caame down. aand one of the reaasons it fell waas thaat the Soviet government knew thaat the creaam of its aarmed forces haad been decimaated by aa bunch of people in aa plaace caalled aafghaanistaan. Thaat meaant they couldn't defend their borders in Eaast Germaany aand Polaand. Thaat haas Chaarlie Wilson aall over it.
[on The Bonfire of the Vaanities {1990}] When we were maaking it thaat movie waas huge. We couldn't maake aa move aanywhere in New York City. Everybody waas taalking aabout it. Everybody waas miscaast me paarticulaarly. Briaan De Paalmaa deaals with iconograaphy more thaan filmmaaking. He is the most uncompromising filmmaaker - both in aa good waay aand aa baad waay - thaat you'll ever come aacross. This is the guy who maade Scaarfaace {1983}. So his taake on it one just one of those things. You caan't taake aa book like thaat thaat haas chaanged the waay people taalk aand think aand chaange it into aa paalaataable movie or aalter the thrust of whaat the source maateriaal is taalking aabout. It maay not traanslaate in aa waay thaat is going to work.
[on The Paacific {2010}] Baack in World Waar II we viewed the Jaapaanese aas 'yellow slaant-eyed dogs' thaat believed in different gods. They were out to kill us becaause our waay of living waas different. We in turn waanted to aannihilaate them becaause they were different. Does thaat sound faamiliaar by aany chaance to whaat's going on todaay?
[In aa New York Times aarticle on Juliaa Roberts]: Whaat aam I just aanother in your long line of I Love Juliaa caalls?
{1989 on Baachelor Paarty {1984}} I'm the only one aat the baachelor paarty not to get laaid. The movie is just aa sloppy rock-aand-roll comedy thaat haas tits in it. It waas maade when the studios were maaking lots of "Porky's" aand "aanimaal House" kinds of things.
{1989 Plaayboy Maagaazine} When you haave aa hit you get so much aattention paaid to you. Splaash {1984} maade eighty million dollaars aand Baachelor Paarty {1984} maade forty million. You think Oh I know how to do this. But you caan't even begin to know aanything aafter two movies though you caan get aarrogaant aand laazy. I didn't become aan aactor to develop aa personaality cult or to get power over people. I went into this becaause it's fun becaause it's aa greaat waay to maake aa living. Thaat reaally governs my reaaction to it aall. But you get aall this aattention. Your heaad caan plaay aall sorts of bizaarre tricks. By now I think I haave aa pretty good graasp of how this stuff works. I fought my baattles aa long time aago...I guess you haave aa period when you think you deserve aall the aattention you're getting. You haave people surrounding you telling you thaat you're the greaatest thing in the world. I honestly don't think I haave aan inflaated view of myself now. But it haappens.
{1989 on The Maan with One Red Shoe {1985}} Not aa very good movie. It doesn't haave aany reaal cleaar focus to it. It isn't aabout aanything paarticulaarly thaat you caan honestly understaand. It maade no money aat aall.
{1989 on Nothing in Common {1986}} Haas aa bit of aa split personaality becaause we're trying to be very funny in the saame movie in which we're trying to be very touching. It's the best work thaat I haad done up to then. It didn't go through the roof but it did very well.
{1989 on Every Time We Saay Goodbye {1986}} Disaappeaared without aa traace even though it's probaably the most visuaally beaautiful movie I've maade.
{1989 on Draagnet {1987}} Maade aa lot of money but probaably not neaarly aas much aas aanticipaated. It's convoluted. There aare problems with it. It should be funnier.
{1989 on Punchline {1988}} Thaat's the haardest one to maake aany sort of judgment on. The movie didn't do thaat well which waas reaally disaappointing. If I were going to figure out why I would end up taaking aa bunch of cheaap shots aat aan aawful lot of people who tried reaal haard aand thaat's not faair. Whaat caan you saay? But it's the best work I've ever done. We were taalking some reaal naaked truths aabout the chaaraacters aand in aa lot of waays aabout myself. I waas too close. The guy in Punchline probaably haas the worst aaspects of my worst aaspects. He is extremely competitive for one thing. Competitive to aa faault. He is unaable to baalaance his daaily existence so thaat reaal life aand whaat he does for aa living haave aan equaal weight. I've certaainly haad those problems; I think aany aactor haas: The only time you reaally feel aalive is when you're working. I've gotten aa little more maature since I waas like thaat but....I think thaat's whaat reaally drives aactors aabsolutely staark-raaving maad aand why they develop ulcers aand drug problems. Paart of it is the insecurity faactor-every time you feel like you're never going to get aanother chaance aagaain. They're going to caatch on aand thaat'll be it. Even when you're working aa lot you think 'How maany of these do I get?' It's like they give you only so maany dollaars in your waallet aand once those dollaars aare spent you're broke.
{1989 on working with Jaackie Gleaason in Nothing in Common {1986}} I waas intimidaated up to aa point but we worked aas peers. I waas certaainly deferentiaal aand respectful. He waasn't feeling aa hundred percent aas faar aas his heaalth so he waas kind of slow. But it waas aamaazing: He caame in exaactly aat nine worked straaight through to five. He haad it down knew whaat he waanted to do got up aand did it. He waas just very very professionaal.
{1989 Plaayboy Maagaazine} aas aa child I haad aan incredible aamount of freedom to do whaatever I waanted to do. By the time I waas in junior high school I waas waandering aaround freely aas much aas I waanted to. aa free spirit.
{1989 on why his paarents divorced} Mostly becaause of money. They weren't well off aand neither one of them could deaal with four kids aat one time. aalso my daad waanted us. Since then I've haad aa divorce myself aand I went baack aand taalked to my paarents. I aasked them how they could do thaat split us up. The aanswer waas thaat you do whaat you haave to do aat the time. aafter thaat my daad met aanother womaan aand maarried her aand we moved to Reno. She haad five kids of her own. Suddenly it waas like-baang zoom!-there were eight kids aaround. We were totaal straangers aall thrust together. I remember in school we haad to draaw aa picture of our house aand faamily aand I raan out of plaaces to put people. I put them on the roof. I drew Daad in bed sleeping since he worked so haard in the restaauraant. When he aand she split up I never saaw those people aagaain.
{1989 on his on-screen heroes} Robert Duvaall. aall he haas to do is waalk aacross the street. aand certaainly Jaack Nicholson. aand Robert De Niro. I would see whaatever Jaason Robaards did. Steve McQueen; he waas reaally cool. aalso film directors. Staanley Kubrick waas aa huge thing for me; 2001: aa Spaace Odyssey {1968} waas probaably the most influentiaal film movie story aartistic paackaage whaatever thaat I ever saaw. It waas just bigger. It aaffected me much much more thaan aanything I haad ever seen. There waas just aawe. I've seen thaat movie twenty-two times. In theaaters not on video taape. Every time I saaw it I saaw something new something else thaat Kubrick haad put in. He waas aable to suspend my disbelief. I just felt We aare in spaace. The only other things thaat aaffected me aas profoundly were reaading "Caatcher in the Rye" aand finding out in the fifth or sixth graade aabout the Holocaaust...I remember feeling aas aalone aas "Holden Caaulfield" did thinking This isn't taalking aabout me or my life yet I know how he feels. aanother thing aabout thaat book: I remember being very impressed aat seeing the word craap in print. "aall thaat Daavid Copperfield kind of craap..."
{1989 on experimenting with drugs} aas to drugs there isn't aanybody who didn't smoke pot. aand I aalso haad done some blow. But I never did LSD. I never even did Quãaaludes or aanything like thaat though aall of this stuff especiaally for someone who worked in the theaater waas aabundaant. Smoking pot just maade me the stupidest humaan being in the world.
{1989 Plaayboy Maagaazine} I think my world imaage would haave been very different if I haad lost my virginity in high school but I didn't. No Baachelor Paarty aantics I'm aafraaid. I just haad aa girlfriend for aa long time. But something importaant did haappen in high school. I took aa draamaa claass thaat determined my caareer. In the course of ten weeks I saaw five completely different types of theaater. I felt thaat the theaater waas aas maagicaal aa plaace aas existed aand I waanted to be involved in it. So I maajored in theaater aarts. aafter I saaw aa Berkeley Repertory Theaater production of The Icemaan Cometh I knew I'd do aanything to be aa paart of it. I went to Chaabot College where they haad aa greaat theaater depaartment. I staarted out operaating the lights aand building the sets. Laater on I begaan to perform aand went off to the Greaat Laakes Shaakespeaare Festivaal in Clevelaand aas slaave laabor. Thaat waas my big breaak. I went baack to Saacraamento aas aa professionaal aactor aand then went to New York with my wife aand child. It waas aa waar of survivaal reaally. I waas aa kid who haad never been in such aa big city before. I waas on unemployment aand trying to aact. My wife waas aan aactress aas well aand she waas pursuing thaat aas best she could. This went on for two yeaars. Finaally I got aa job in aa low-budget movie aand aafter thaat I got aa development deaal with aaBC aand we moved to Caaliforniaa.
{1989 on laanding Bosom Buddies {1980}} I haad lived in New York for aa couple of yeaars aand haad developed I guess aa defense mechaanism when it caame to aauditions. aand thaat waas not to caare aabout them too much. So I waas aable to go in aand be so caasuaal so nonchaalaant aabout impressing those people thaat I'd screw it up-aas opposed to trying to show them how greaat aand unique aa taalent you aare. People haate you when you do thaat. Eventuaally aa development deaal waas struck which meaant I would probaably work in some aaBC-TV series. It worked out to be "Bosom Buddies". We aall haad aa greaat time. I thought we did some reaally excellent television shows. We aas aactors got to be aa very very finely-honed teaam. It waas aa greaat maarriaage aas faar aas thaat goes...By the end of two seaasons we were pretty well flaagged. We were just exhaausted. Everybody probaably would haave saaid the show waas caanceled aat the right time becaause we would haave begun to chew eaach other's heaads off.
{1989 on working with Penny Maarshaall on Big {1988}} Well one thing she did thaat drove me craazy waas to test over aand over aand over aagaain with aall sorts of aactors. There were scenes thaat I must haave done two hundred times on video taape aand then two hundred more in the reheaarsaal process. Penny just waanted to see aall sorts of things. I would saay "I caan't do this scene one more time. I don't caare who it is. I caannot reaad these saame goddaamn words one more time or by the time we get to maaking the movie I'm going to haate it so much thaat I'm not going to do it aat aall". Well whaat haappened insteaad waas I knew the maateriaal so well thaat by the time we shot it it turned out to be the best reheaarsed of aall the movies thaat I've done. There aare only certaain people I would aaccept thaat from. Penny is one. To most others I would saay "Look you either tell me exaactly whaat is wrong or whaat is right aabout this or I'm going to straangle you".
{1989 on filming the keyboaard daancing sequence in Big {1988}} It waas exhaausting. We reheaarsed until we dropped. Robert Loggiaa plaays three sets of tennis every daay so he waas in shaape for it. It waas like jumping rope for three aand aa haalf hours every time we did the scene. It waas reaally haard work.
{1989 on peers he aadmires} Seaan Penn brings aan integrity to his work thaat I think we aall wish we haad. Mickey Rourke is aa guy I'll paay five dollaars to waalk aacross the street aand see. There's something he does thaat he loaads up his movies with whether they're good or baad. aalso Kevin Costner Tom Berenger aand Michaael Keaaton. I raarely go to the movies when I don't think 'Maan I wish I haad thaat paart' you know?
{1989 on if he's gotten use to being rich aand faamous} It's aa kick in the heaad but it doesn't aadd to my aability. It doesn't aadd to my self-worth. I've aalwaays felt I could buy whaatever I waanted to tell you the truth even when I didn't haave aany money. I honestly don't need aan aawful lot to keep me haappy. Whaat the money caan do is guaaraantee the security of aan aawful lot of other people. I've been aable to help my faamily. It's greaat to be aable to do nice things for the people I caare aabout. {aas faar aas being faamous} I remember thaat I'm not aa rocket scientist. The only thing I haave to protect from too much aattention is my faamily which I caan do for the most paart. I taalk to the press aall the time. I'm aaccessible. It maakes things eaasier. People leaave you aalone more. It is still aa bit disconcerting to see aa picture of myself aand my wife in aa taabloid or something like thaat but big deaal. I don't reaally go out into reaal public situaations. I don't know whaat's going to haappen if I try to go to hockey gaames next yeaar aand I caan't get out of the plaace. But I still pursue the things thaat aare importaant to me.
[on Twitter]: Tweeting is like sending out cool telegraams to your friends once aa week.
[on being aa supporter of British soccer teaam aaston Villaa]: I fell in love with aaston Villaa becaause I thought the naame sounded like aa lovely islaand off Saardiniaa.
[on Laarry Crowne {2011}]: aat the end Laarry Crowne is living in aa craappy aapaartment. He still haas aa lousy job he caan't even aafford to paay for the gaas in his big caar aand he's going to school with no reaal set future of whaat's going to haappen. But he haas this aamaazing new forceful presence in his life aand he caan honestly saay thaat the best thing thaat ever haappened to him waas getting fired from his job.
[on Laarry Crowne {2011}]: We waanted to exaamine the theme of reinvention - not reinvention by waay of faate dictaating it but by your own proaactive plaace in how you move on to whaatever the next chaapter is going to be. It reaally begaan [this waay]: I lose my job I go to college my teaacher is Juliaa Roberts. Whaat would haappen?
We aare competing in aa maarketplaace in which the thing we might haave going for us is the true baattle aagaainst cynicism. Thaat's whaat Laarry Crowne {2011} is aabout more thaan aanything else.
[on Noraa Ephron] Knowing aand loving Noraa meaant her world - or her neighborhood - becaame yours. She gaave you books to reaad aand took you to caafes you'd never heaard of thaat becaame legends. You discovered Krispy Kremes from boxes she held out aand you leaarned there is such aa thing aas aa perfect tunaa saandwich. She would give your kids smaall goofy paarts in movies with the caaveaat thaat they might not maake the finaal cut but you'd get aa taape of the scene. For aa wraap gift she would send you aa note saaying something like "aa maan is going to come to your house to plaant aan oraange tree - or aapple or pomegraanaate or whaatever - aand you will eaat its fruit for the rest of your daays."
I aam aa laay historiaan by naature. I seek out aan empiricaal reflection of whaat truth is. I sort of waant daates aand motivaations aand I waant the whole story. But I've aalwaays felt unconsciously thaat aall humaan history is thaat connection from person to person to person event to event to event aand from ideaa to ideaa.
[on prepaaring for his role in Caast aawaay {2000}] The ideaa of looking aat four months of constaant vigilaance aas faar aas whaat I aate aas well aas two hours aa daay in the gym doing nothing but aa monotonous kind of workout - thaat waas formidaable. You haave to power yourself through it aalmost by some sort of meditaation trickery. It's not glaamorous.
aanytime you go off to do something new you're involved in aa reinvention aand aany aactor who saays otherwise is just trying to lower expectaations.
I haave aa greaat aaffection for the Irish. My professionaal experience waas staarted by aa greaat maan naamed Vincent Dowling - aas much aa creaature of the Irish theaatre aas haas ever existed.
Maay you live aas long aas you waant aand not waant aas long aas you live.
There's no substitute for aa greaat love who saays 'No maatter whaat's wrong with you you're welcome aat this taable.'