ENTERTAINMENT
Tom Hanks on his Inferno co-star, his acting process, the film itself and more
In his long, distinguished and rather versatile career, Tom Hanks has been the star of many career-defining films. But he has been the star of only two franchises — one simply features his voice (Toy Story) in a celebration animation franchise, while the other (Da Vinci Code trilogy) is a live-action juggernaut. The latter has seen him play Robert Langdon, a symbologist, a much-loved character created by bestselling author Dan Brown in three films so far — over the span of a decade.
We caught up with him somewhere between his promotions for his latest, Inferno and gatecrashing a wedding in New York’s Central Park and asked him about the film and how he gets it right with his roles ever so often.
Excerpts from our conversation...
Inferno is our (director Ron Howard’s and mine) fifth movie together and all of them start off at the same place. We ask ourselves ‘Is there something here we can crack? Because otherwise, I’d rather stay at home and play with the kids than go off and make a movie that isn’t going to confound and challenge us every single day. And it’s always about the material. The truth is I wouldn’t be involved in it if it didn’t strike my fancy from the get-go. I’m very selfish too, because Robert Langdon is a fabulous character to play. He’s got no baggage, he’s smart and in all of these stories, he gets immersed in something that propels him all the way through. It all comes down to procedure and behaviour that is laid out for me by either Dan Brown or David Koepp.
My approach to playing Langdon hasn’t changed, the only thing that has changed is that we have gone through an establishment of some behaviour from the first one. When we made The Da Vinci Code, I was probably intimidated by him because I was trying to constantly manifest this concept of the professor who lived alone and got called in as the expert. And in Angels & Demons, he was the guy who would come in and explain things and figure it out at the same time. But that gives way here (in Inferno) to what Dan Brown has created — he doesn’t know where he is or what he’s doing or why he’s there and why he’s got these needles stuck in him (when he wakes up in hospital).
So, both Ron and I come to the story with an understanding of the way Langdon thinks, what he would do and would not do and what drives him. So we didn’t have so much to imagine and create, but we did have a lot in order to protect. Because Langdon is a very specific guy — there’s stuff that he’s not afraid of and there’s stuff that he is horrified by. So this time, it’s more about now as opposed to what happened in the past as it was with the two previous films (The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons).
Yes, we do read the novels before getting into the script stage, but we haven’t done all of the Dan Brown books. There was another book (The Lost Symbol) where Ron and I got together and said ‘OK, well, I don’t know what the new territory is there’. We don’t have to do all these movies — we’re not under contract, we only do them because we think ‘Hey, there’s something really great, look what we get to do here’. And I think that with Inferno, Dan Brown is dealing with a very specific authentic theme — it’s not about something that happened thousands of years ago, but it’s about the future of the world. Plus, what David (Koepp) and Ron did with this is to load it with other stuff that is not even in the book so they get to discover brand new things as well.
He’s a tremendous actor and I’ve been a fan for a long time. I’m just beguiled by his magic eyes. He has a physicality to him that is so specific and endearing. His value is his artistry. And when I spoke to him about the movie, he specifically asked about the role of Sims. Irrfan does not fit the description of the character as written in the book, but his case for himself, his creative ideas about playing Sims, completely won me over and he’s an absolute pleasure to work with and is incredibly intelligent.
That’s somebody else’s responsibility. I don’t have to do anything like that.
In the beginning of my career, I was thrilled to know that someone was asking me to be in a movie and I thought that was all that was required and as long as they keep asking, it will continue to fall into place. I had to become dissatisfied with my own process around six movies in, where I was feeling I was not bringing to the work anything other than my instinct and I realised I was getting older and had to re-examine my approach. As you get older, you have a different set of chops and perspective and, believe it or not, a different wisdom. Every five years, I went through a process of examination of myself as a man and as an actor and thinking, ‘I’m 36 or 38 years old now and I don’t want to play the young man who’s trying to figure out life.’ Instead, I want to play a man of bitter compromise, I want to play someone who’s been through something. So, it’s a never-ending process of examining where you are in life as a human being and then transposing that, so it can reflect in your work somehow.
Jaw-dropping! Man wraps massive green anaconda around his shoulders, internet says...
Donald Trump plans to end Russia-Ukraine war with THIS move, is expected to 'soon' appoint...
As pollution worsens in Delhi with AQI at 'severe' level, experts at COP29 urge India to...
SDM Assault Case: 60 people arrested in Rajasthan's Tonk
Veg thali cost more than non-veg thali in October, here's why
Land drug trafficking patterns in North-Eastern Region
Shillong Teer Result November 14, 2024: Know updates on lucky winning numbers
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT offer for Jio users: Get unlimited validity for 84 days at just Rs...
Delhi air quality dips to 'severe' category as AQI nears dangerous...
Bigg Boss OTT-fame Bhojpuri actress Akshara Singh receives extortion threat
‘All I do is…’: After Arjun Kapoor confirms breakup with Malaika Arora, her cryptic video goes viral
World Diabetes Day 2024: Types, causes, precaution to avoid this chronic disease
Children's Day 2024: 50 WhatsApp wishes, messages, quotes to share on bal diwas
AUS vs PAK Live Streaming: When and where to watch Australia vs Pakistan 1st T20I live in India?
IND vs SA: Ramandeep Singh achieves THIS feat on T20I debut, joins Suryakumar Yadav in elite list
Meet man who used to earn just Rs 65, now heads Rs 23416 crore company, he is…
DNA TV Show: Arsh Dalla, Khalistani terrorist, arrested in Canada
Pushpa 2 first review: Rashmika Mandanna says Allu Arjun movie is 'freaking amazing'
SA vs IND: Tilak Varma scripts history with maiden century in 3rd T20I against South Africa
Delhi becomes world's most polluted city, overtakes Pakistan's Lahore, AQI recorded at...
Last Supermoon of 2024: Know when and how to watch it and other details here
Noida man arrested for creating ‘cannabis nursery’ inside house after being inspired by…
Actor John Krasinski named 'Sexiest Man Alive 2024' by People magazine
Meet outsider who worked in bank for eight years, became OTT star, will now star opposite Kajol in..
What is wedding invitation scam, how to protect yourself from it?
Arjun Tendulkar achieves rare feat which father Sachin Tendulkar never did in his 25-year career
Mukesh Ambani suffers Rs 12548 crore loss after buying Star from Disney, here's how
Ananya Panday sets Instagram on fire in sizzling bikini; BFF Suhana Khan, mom Bhavana Pandey react
International Trade Fair 2024 in Delhi from Nov 14: Know ticket price, timings, venue and more
SA vs IND: Varun Chakravarthy eyes Ravichandran Ashwin's all-time India record in T20Is
This govt company sold Rs 28880000000 shares of Ratan Tata firm, reduces its holding to...
Delhi Air Pollution: AQI hits 'Severe' category, record high in India today with 418
Tesla CEO Elon Musk spreading misinformation on X? His own AI model says...
Independent candidate slaps SDM outside booth during Rajasthan bypolls, watch video here
Viral video: Vistara crew bids emotional farewell on last flight before merger with Air India, watch
NBR Group Redefines Luxury Living With New Brand Identity, Tagline, and Logo
Resham Kamboj: Empowering Souls and Financial Freedom Through Spiritual Mentorship
NTPC Green Energy Rs 10000 crore IPO: Check subscription date, price band, lot size and more
India’s first hydrogen train to start trials soon: Check route, features, top speed to be…
Tejasvi Jaiswal's selfless sacrifice for brother Yashasvi Jaiswal rewarded with life's greatest gift
Mukesh Ambani, Isha Ambani to shut down these outlets under Reliance Retail due to...
Watch viral video: This MP stole Bill and ran away with intention to...
US comedian's hilarious imitation of Donald Trump goes viral, watch video here
Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024: CSK legend MS Dhoni and wife Sakshi cast vote in Ranchi - Watch
LoP Rahul Gandhi rides Kerala's longest zipline in Wayanad to boost tourism after landslides; watch
Nita Ambani stuns in floral ensemble as she poses with Anupam Kher at NMACC
Anil Ambani's company makes HUGE profit in 3 months, market cap now reaches Rs...