Tom Hanks has weighed in on the ongoing debate about nepotism in Hollywood, with the A Man Called Otto star taking the stance that his and other families working in entertainment are creative businesses.
The actor was promoting the upcoming film, in which his son Truman plays a younger version of the Oscar-winning character Otto. Hanks’ wife, Rita Wilson, co-wrote and performed an original song for the film, and also co-produced the film with her husband. Speaking to Portal (via The Sun) in a video interview shared on Wednesday, the actor explained his position on having his four children — who he says are all “very creative” and “all involved in some kind of storytelling.” are – in the work of the same or a related industry.
“You see, this is a family business. We’ve been doing this forever. That’s what all our kids grew up with,” he said. “If we were a plumbing store or ran the flower shop around the corner, the whole family would invest time at some point, even if it’s just inventory at the end of the year.”
Hanks has two children with his first wife – Colin and Elizabeth Hanks – and two more, Chet and Truman, with Wilson. All work to varying degrees in some field of entertainment, be it as an actor, producer, cinematographer or musician. Hank noted that for him, regardless of her last name, it’s ultimately the quality of her work that matters most and speaks loudest.
“What doesn’t change, no matter what, no matter what your last name is, is whether it works or not,” he said. “That’s always the problem when one of us goes out and tries to tell a new story or create something that has a beginning, a middle and an end. It doesn’t matter what our last names are. We have to do the work to make this a true and authentic experience for the audience.”
For Hanks, “It’s a much bigger task than worrying about whether or not someone is going to try to hurt us.”
Hanks’ comments follow statements from other entertainment stars, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Kate Hudson, Lily Allen and most recently Allison Williams, daughter of famed journalist Brian Williams. The “Girls,” “M3GAN,” and “Get Out” actress expressed in a Vulture interview published Thursday that she knows she’s benefited from nepotism and it doesn’t detract from her job. It “just means I don’t enjoy rooting for it that much.”
“All people are looking for is recognition that there is no level playing field. It’s just unfair. Period, end of story, and nobody really works that hard to make it fair,” she continued. “Not recognizing that starting out as an actress isn’t the same as someone with no connections — it’s ridiculous.”