Tom Hanks is the latest celebrity to enter the ongoing debate about nepotism in Hollywood. In an interview with the UK’s The Sun, Hanks shared some insights into his family-favoring casting in giving his son Truman a part in his new movie A Man Called Otto.
“Look, this is a family business,” Hanks said. “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.” Check out a clip of the interview below.
Hanks went on to add that it “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.”
After a limited theatrical release on December 30, A Man Called Otto will have a wider release starting January 13. The film, about a grumpy old man living in suburban Pittsburgh, is the second adaptation of the 2012 novel A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman–and a remake of the 2015 Swedish film of the same name written and directed by Hannes Holm.
In addition to Hanks and his son Truman–who plays a younger version of Tom’s character–the film stars Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo.
If you’re curious to read more about nepotism in entertainment, Vulture has an “all but definitive” and fairly thorough overview of actors, singers, and directors who “just happen to be the children of actors, singers, and directors.”
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