Tom Hanks on the “real” reason he was cast in ‘Splash’
Long before the success of Saving Private Ryan and Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks emerged into the world of stardom with the 1984 romantic comedy Splash, directed by Ron Howard. Hanks played Allen Bauer, a New York City businessman who falls in love with Madison, a mysterious woman played by Daryl Hannah.
Interestingly, Madison is, in fact, a mermaid whom Allen saved from drowning many years prior, and Howard delivers a touching yet funny journey with a blend of romance, comedy and fantasy. Hanks might be best known for his later efforts, but one of his first movie roles might just be his most important, especially considering that he owes his entire career to his earlier efforts.
During a 1989 interview with Playboy, Hanks explained how he wound up being cast in Splash despite not being the film’s first choice. The iconic actor admitted to “being in the right place at the right time” to take on the lead role, even though he’d actually been considered by Howard for the main character’s brother, a role that eventually went to John Candy.
“Splash had been a romantic leading man role, the innocent, lovesick guy who falls in love with a fish,” Hanks noted. “A very well-rounded, wholesome movie… And the reason I got to do it was that a lot of big actors turned it down.”
He added, “If you were a big-name guy and got an offer for a movie directed by Mayberry’s Opie Taylor for Walt Disney, you weren’t going to leap at it.” Hanks had made a guest appearance on a 1982 episode of Happy Days, where Howard had cut his teeth as an actor before his directing career took off.
It was at that point that he met the writers of Splash, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, who eventually suggested the actor for the lead role to Ron Howard. Thankfully, Hanks landed the role, and the film became a box-office surprise hit, setting Hanks up for widespread success along with 1984’s Bachelor Party.
“It sounded great to me,” Hanks said of his breakthrough role. “I hadn’t done any movies yet. But I can’t take credit for the success of Splash and Bachelor Party‘s being hits, other than having been in the right place at the right time and having got the job.”
Check out the trailer for Splash below to see Tom Hanks make one of his earliest movie performances.
