The performer Steven Spielberg called “one of the greatest living actors”
For almost half a century, Steven Spielberg has been arguably the single most famous director on the face of the planet, and there aren’t many actors who’d even contemplate turning down a role in one of his movies were it to be offered their way.
There are obviously exceptions to that rule, as there tend to be in every walk of life, but for the most part, when the highest-grossing director in the history of cinema extends an invitation, it’s a difficult thing to turn down. Unlike most A-list filmmakers, though, Spielberg doesn’t develop his projects with any particular names in mind.
Part of that might be down to the relative dearth of screenwriting credits in his filmography because it’s easier for an auteur to pen a script with a certain performer in mind. Spielberg largely tends to base those instincts on the material, with one of his protagonists only capable of being embodied by somebody plucked right from the top tier.
In Spielberg’s estimation, the five most talented thespians to have ever graced the silver screen are Spencer Tracy, Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, and Clark Gable. He’s also worked with Richard Attenborough, Toshiro Mifune, Christopher Lee, and Robin Williams. All of them legends, and all of them are no longer on this mortal plane.
Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christopher Walken, and Daniel Day-Lewis are among those still alive and kicking who’ve played major roles in Spielberg films, but he needed the perfect candidate to embody a real-life figure in a complex and complicated Cold War drama.
As he explained to Time, the part of James Donovan in Bridge of Spies was “crying out for one of the greatest living actors,” and by drafting in Tom Hanks, he was “able to snag one of the greatest living actors to represent the virtues and the principles that this character showed all of us in real life.”
While it would be easy to suggest Spielberg is playing favourites when he’s worked with Hanks in various capacities on The Money Pit, Joe Versus the Volcano, Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, Bridge of Spies, The Post, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, and Masters of the Air in an on and off-screen bond spanning nearly four decades, he also happens to be right on the money.
It’s a rare thing to be universally beloved in Hollywood, and even though Keanu Reeves fits neatly into that bracket alongside Hanks, they’re miles apart when it comes to their abilities. No offence to the former, but the latter can act circles around most folks in the industry, and he’s been doing so for a very long time.
Hanks may have never achieved Oscars glory again after winning back-to-back ‘Best Actor’ statues for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, but he’s hardly been slacking. The most well-rounded everyman the movie business has seen this side of the aforementioned Stewart, Hanks has gained plenty of experience playing real people in over a dozen projects covering film and television, but Donovan required something else.
Hanks would be the first to admit he looked nothing like the man, but that’s beside the point when Bridge of Spies was driven by performance. The New York City lawyer finds himself miles out of his depth when he’s recruited by the CIA to negotiate the release of an American pilot captured by the Soviet Union, negotiating a prisoner exchange involving Mark Rylance’s convicted spy Rudolf Abel, who he’d previously defended in court.
An erstwhile protagonist he may be, but Hanks was required to exude composure, confidence, and impartiality, matters made difficult by the fact his intimate surroundings while talking over the terms and conditions of the deal unfolded against the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty that had the potential to devolve into all-out war if only a couple of major dominoes fell in the wrong direction.
It was a lot more nuanced than he got credit for – with Hanks shut out of all the major awards ceremonies for his work – but Spielberg was confident enough to know the actor he called one of the best still breathing was more than up to the task.
