The actor Tom Hanks described as a “giant talent”
Having spent 40 years as a bankable and popular star during a career that’s seen him deservedly appraised as one of the finest actors of the modern era, Tom Hanks knows a thing or two about talent.
Breaking out as a comedy star in the 1980s before segueing into dramatic territory and achieving the rare feat of winning back-to-back Academy Awards for ‘Best Actor’ along the way, Hanks is comfortably entrenched among the rare few names in Hollywood who can virtually guarantee an audience based on their name alone.
He’s worked with many of the industry’s most accomplished figures on either side of the camera, but the one he praised as “a giant talent” was a performer he only worked with once. There was every chance their paths could have crossed again, but Philip Seymour Hoffman tragically passed away in February 2014 to rob Hollywood of one of its most respected figures.
Although Hoffman had been open in discussing his long-running battle against addiction issues, his inner circle were of the impression his drug use was under control at the time of his death. Sadly, the cause was determined to be acute mixed drug intoxication after a number of substances were found in his system when he was discovered dead in the bathroom of his apartment by his close friend David Bar Katz.
Hanks and Hoffman only shared the screen on one occasion, but as tended to be the case given their respective abilities, they were recipients of awards season recognition. Charlie Wilson’s War may not have lived up to expectations as a Mike Nichols-directed biographical dramedy with a screenplay written by Aaron Sorkin, but the two top-billed names in the ensemble lived up to their reputations.
Hoffman earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for ‘Best Supporting Actor’, while Hanks was shortlisted at the latter ceremony for ‘Best Actor – Musical or Comedy’. Their interactions on-screen lived up to the promise of seeing a pair of heavyweights going toe-to-toe, with their mutual admiration both personal and professional.
When news of Hoffman’s death first broke, Hanks called it “a horrible day for those who worked with Philip” in an official statement, with the industry left devastated by the loss of one of its brightest talents. There aren’t many actors in the business who guaranteed quality in the same way that the regular Paul Thomas Anderson collaborator did, with his presence virtually guaranteeing a performance of the highest quality.
Whether it was intense or dramatic performances, light-hearted comedic fare, or effects-heavy blockbusters, there was never any question that Hoffman would be a highlight. Hanks was far from alone in mourning the passing of a generational talent, and regardless of how Charlie Wilson’s War failed to maximise its potential, the pair created the fireworks everyone expected when two powerhouses were pitted opposite each other.
