I wish people would get Tom Hanks in perspective. Over the last month or so as I was re-watching all of his films before interviewing him for "Scene by Scene", I've been bombarded by reactions to him. In my day I've chinwagged with Connery, Scorsese, Lauren Bacall, Jack Lemmon among others, but now that I've encountered the divine Mr Hanks, I have, in some people's eyes, really reached the top of the tree. Normally measured types gush at the mention of his name and, to my surprise, at his film "The Green Mile" in particular.
Movie stars have always inspired such contrary feelings, especially when the camera captured Monroe's vulnerability, Steve McQueen's arrogance, or Mitchum's nonchalance. The thing that doesn't figure with Hanks is that, as he admits himself, there's nothing striking about his person. When we finally met in London, after he'd had a long day of junket conversations, we talked about his appeal. He said that even in their bad films Brando and Montgomery Clift, Henry Fonda and Richard Widmark were fascinating. "So why are you fascinating?" I asked. "Why do audiences turn up again and again for Hanks movies?" The master of the multiplex refused to ponder this, and said he didn't want to think about it, but certainly knows that he's not in the league of those he mentioned.
You can see Mark Cousins talking with Tom Hanks in "Scene by Scene" on BBC2, Sunday 21st January 2001 at 11.25pm.
