Tom Hanks says he couldn’t play gay role today

"Philadelphia" was a key turning point in Hanks' career.

Jun 19, 2022 - 15:43
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Tom Hanks says he couldn’t play gay role today

Hollywood star and multiple Oscar winner Tom Hanks told several American media that he would not be able to make the 1993 film "Philadelphia", which brought him his first Oscar because it would not be in accordance with "current rules of modern authenticity" but also because the time has passed when "a straight actor had to play a gay role", reports the Guardian. In an interview with the New York Times about the film biography of Elvis Presley, Hanks said that "as a straight man, he couldn’t enter ‘Philadelphia’ now, where he played a gay guy who is dying of AIDS."

He explained that Jonathan Demme’s “Philadelphia”, as well as" Forest Gump", for which he also won an Oscar in 1994," are films made at the right time, and that they could no longer be made in the same way.

This achievement was a key turning point in Hanks' career. Apart from winning the Oscar for Best Actor for his role as lawyer Andrew Beckett, who was fired from his law office due to his HIV diagnosis and died in hospital, it is also a big financial hit.

Despite that, Tom Hanks claims that today, after almost 30 years, this film could not be made in the same way. “The whole point of "Philadelphia" was not to be afraid. One of the reasons people weren't afraid of that movie was because I played a gay man. We are above that now. Don't think that people would accept the inauthenticity of a straight guy playing a gay guy. I believe that we have passed that point in mainstream cinematography, which is a good measure of social progress. It makes me happy that the presence of a beloved straight actor is no longer necessary for the job to be done. Times have changed” - believes the popular actor.

There is no doubt that Tom Hanks is a genius actor. He achieved success thanks to his acting skills and perseverance. His filmography includes a huge selection of titles. And Tom won't stop there. He plans to continue to delight his fans with new roles.

Post by: Rinna James