Tom Hanks

Hanks says he learned early that working in theater is more enjoyable than anything else.

“Work in the theater is more fun than fun. And I thought, well, yeah, this is a great way to spend your day”

SmartLess: "RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks" (Jun 11, 2026) · Listen from 55:43

Hanks describes the 1980s as an era when any cheap film labeled a comedy would do some business.

“That was the era of you could make a movie for about $15 million. And if you just said it was a comedy”

SmartLess: "RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks" (Jun 11, 2026) · Listen from 32:14

Hanks contends that audiences do not care where they watch films, while the industry resists change.

“The audience, I think, if I can pontificate just a little bit here, doesn't care where they see it”

SmartLess: "RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks" (Jun 11, 2026) · Listen from 46:22

Hanks argues that films either work or fail regardless of promotion, so release platform does not change the pressure.

“the movies are always binary. They're either double zero or zero one. They either work or they do not work”

SmartLess: "RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks" (Jun 11, 2026) · Listen from 45:55

Hanks says he lacks a director's instincts and believes true directors are born into it.

“But I think directors more so than myself as an actor, they're born into it”

SmartLess: "RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks" (Jun 11, 2026) · Listen from 43:42

Hanks argues that actors and directors should each try the other's job to understand its difficulty.

“I believe every actor should direct. I think every director should have to act”

SmartLess: "RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks" (Jun 11, 2026) · Listen from 41:33

Hanks credits Zemeckis's choice never to show the plane's exterior for the crash scene's effectiveness.

“he never cuts to the outside of the plane. That's one of the reasons why that plane crash is as good”

SmartLess: "RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks" (Jun 11, 2026) · Listen from 40:48

Hanks explains that screenwriter Bill Broyles named the volleyball Wilson in honor of Rita Wilson.

“he came up with the idea of a volleyball, and he named it Wilson in honor of my beautiful bride”

SmartLess: "RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks" (Jun 11, 2026) · Listen from 37:41

Hanks says part of the war's storytelling appeal is that the bad guys lost in the end.

“The other part of it, too, is... is that the bad guys lost at the end of the”

SmartLess: "RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks" (Jun 11, 2026) · Listen from 11:54

Hanks traces his interest in World War II to the adults of his childhood constantly referring to 'the war' as a dividing line in their lives.

“Every single caregiver, every single adult in my life would make references to the six, two words, three letters each, the war”

SmartLess: "RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks" (Jun 11, 2026) · Listen from 11:15

Hanks names making That Thing You Do! with friends as an especially memorable experience.

“The experience of making the movie That Thing You Do, I cast it with a bunch of friends. We had a great time”

SmartLess: "RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks" (Jun 11, 2026) · Listen from 56:30

Hanks says Dan Sullivan's lesson became his guiding principle throughout his career.

“the most important thing to do was show up on time, know your lines, and have an idea in your pocket”

SmartLess: "RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks" (Jun 11, 2026) · Listen from 31:39

Hanks says Bosom Buddies was a huge financial reprieve after earning very little as a Shakespearean actor.

“up to that point as a Shakespearean actor, I'd made less than $10,000 in a year for an entire year”

SmartLess: "RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks" (Jun 11, 2026) · Listen from 25:53

Hanks recounts that the Omaha Beach sequence used amputee stunt performers, creating startling moments for the actors.

“out of the corner of the other eye, you see a guy blown 40 feet into the air, and he loses a leg in the process”

SmartLess: "RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks" (Jun 11, 2026) · Listen from 14:30