Tom Hanks compares his career to Bruce Springsteen: “He takes you anywhere he wants”
Tom Hanks has long been acquainted with the intricacies of the creative process, and his decades of performances have cemented his status as a cultural icon. From the harrowing depths of Saving Private Ryan and Castaway to the heartfelt nostalgia of Big and Toy Story, Hanks has seemingly done it all. His forensic understanding of the craft and unparalleled mastery of the medium have made him a mentor and guiding light for countless co-stars.
After working with young and emerging actors like Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, and Tom Holland, they have all described the impact that he had on their careers and how much they learnt from his presence. Hanks gladly bestowed his wisdom and tips for being in such a slippery business. However, when asked to describe his own personal process, he had a very particular metaphor to share, comparing his career to a popular musician.
There have been many filmmakers over the years who have noted the similarities between the craft of creating a film and that of performing a piece of music, with some saying that a good film should feel the same way as listening to a symphony. The viewer should be washed in a wave of feelings that ebb and flow, taking you on an emotional journey that lifts you to the highest highs and the lowest lows. It should be unexpected and completely immersive, leading to a well-rounded and satisfying conclusion as you feel the equivalent of going on a rollercoaster.
Hanks shared a similar sentiment, describing his complex thoughts on performing and what audiences expect from his work, comparing it to the likes of going to a Bruce Springsteen concert.
The actor expanded on this interesting sentiment, saying, “No, I don’t think you’re going to know the person through performance. But the piling up of the jobs themselves — if someone has only seen half of my movies, they’ve still seen 30 movies. Over the course of that will come some imprimatur. It cannot be denied. But that doesn’t mean it’s not malleable. It is, provided you’re not just doing the same thing. You’ve gotta give ’em A. You’ve gotta give ’em B. But if you don’t also give ’em K and S, you’re going to start delivering movies by rote”.
Hanks is implying that even when you are familiar with an actor’s work, you should never be familiar with the creative choices they are going to make in any given project and be able to predict how you will feel. He then compared this to the likes of going to a concert, saying, “Mr. Bruce Springsteen said his rock-and-roll show is like going to church. Provided that what he does in the big shows is give you six songs in a row that are Bruce Springsteen at his absolute E-Street Bandiest”.
He added: “After that he takes you anywhere he wants. It’s not exactly the same with movies, but the audience expects a thing from my name up there. I’m not saying they come in expecting something specific, but they’re going to trust me in making my choice to do the movie in the first place… But no matter what, here’s what you always want people saying after a movie: ‘I’m glad we went to the movies today.’. What is worse than going to a movie and coming out and saying, ‘Coulda seen that on a plane’?”
This would undeniably be the most disheartening thing to hear as a performer, and even if you have a reputation like Hanks does, you still need to find a way to surprise the audience, even if they’ve seen you in fifty other films.
