Tom Hanks has spoken up about the issue of nepotism in Hollywood. The actor has been promoting his latest film, A Man Called Otto, which has been adapted from the Oscar-nominated 2015 Swedish film A Man Called Ove, written and directed by Hannes Holm. In the Hollywood film, Tom's youngest son Truman Hanks plays a younger version of his character Otto. He defended his children joining Hollywood and said it was 'a family business'. (Also read: Tom Hanks reveals that a Forrest Gump sequel had been planned but never made)
Tom's wife, actor Rita Wilson, is also part of A Man Called Otto. She has co-written and performed an original song on the feature film; they are also producers on the film directed by Marc Foster. The actor has two son with Rita - Chester Hanks and Truman, who is also a cinematographer. Chester, who is better known as Chet, is an rapper and actor. Tom also has two children from his first marriage, a son, actor Colin Hanks and a daughter, Elizabeth Hanks.
Speaking to Reuters (via The Sun) in a video interview, Tom shared that all his children were “very creative” and “all involved in some brand of storytelling”. He went on to explain, "Look this is a family business. This is what we’ve been doing forever. It’s what all of our kids grew up in. If we were a plumbing supply business or if we ran the florist shop down the street, the whole family would be putting in time at some point, even if it was just inventory at the end of the year.”
Addressing the criticism against nepotism, he added, "The thing that doesn’t change no matter what happens, no matter what your last name is, is whether it works or not. That’s the issue anytime any of us go off and try to tell a fresh story or create something that has a beginning and a middle and an end. Doesn’t matter what our last names are. We have to do the work in order to make that a true and authentic experience for the audience.”
{{/usCountry}}Addressing the criticism against nepotism, he added, "The thing that doesn’t change no matter what happens, no matter what your last name is, is whether it works or not. That’s the issue anytime any of us go off and try to tell a fresh story or create something that has a beginning and a middle and an end. Doesn’t matter what our last names are. We have to do the work in order to make that a true and authentic experience for the audience.”
{{/usCountry}}Recently, several Hollywood actors including Kate Hudson and Jamie Lee Curtis have spoken about nepotism after the latest issue of New York Magazine features several children of stars including Maya Hawke and Dakota Johnson and named them 'nepo babies'. The cover showed maternity ward with babies in diapers.
Last year, Tom also acted in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis as Colonel Tom Parker and Disney's Pinocchio's Geppetto. He will be a part of Wes Anderson's large ensemble cast in Asteroid City which is due to be released in June 2023.