Entertainment
Tom Hanks says he would not take on Oscar-winning gay lawyer role in Philadelphia today: ‘We’re beyond that now’-Tori Brazier-Entertainment – Metro
‘I don’t think people would accept the inauthenticity of a straight guy playing a gay guy’.
Tom Hanks has reflected on his participation in Philadelphia and how times have changed (Picture: Getty)
Tom Hanks has looked back on his 1993 role as a gay man in Philadelphia and said that ‘rightly so’ he could not – as a straight man – play that part today.
In the legal drama, which scored him his first of two back-to-back Best Actor Oscars wins, the Forrest Gump star portrayed gay lawyer Andrew Beckett.
Beckett initially conceals his sexuality and HIV-positive status from colleagues before suing his employers for firing him.
The film, which co-starred Denzel Washington, was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to address HIV/AIDS and homophobia.
‘Let’s address ‘could a straight man do what I did in Philadelphia now?’ No, and rightly so,’ the 65-year-old stated in a new interview.
‘The whole point of Philadelphia was don’t be afraid. One of the reasons people weren’t afraid on that movie is that I was playing a gay man,’ he continued.
The actor, who will be seen next in Elvis, said his casting as a gay man in Philadelphia ensured audiences of the time ‘weren’t afraid’ (Picture: Getty)
Philadelphia was one of the first mainstream Hollywood movies to address HIV/AIDS and homophobia (Picture: TriStar/Getty)
Speaking to The New York Times, the Saving Private Ryan actor said that the world was ‘beyond that now’ and ‘wouldn’t accept the inauthenticity of a straight guy playing a gay guy’.
He added: ‘It’s not a crime, it’s not boohoo, that someone would say we are going to demand more of a movie in the modern realm of authenticity.’
Other straight actors have recently spoken out about taking on LGBT roles in their careers, including Eddie Redmayne, who branded his Oscar-nominated role as transgender artist Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl as ‘a mistake’.
Hanks co-starred with Denzel Washington, who played a fellow lawyer learning about HIV/AIDS for the first time (Picture: TriStar/Getty)
Despite the Oscar, Hanks would not play Andrew Beckett today (Picture: Steve Starr/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Elsewhere, unlikely BBC Springwatch fan Hanks is set to turn his ‘nice guy’ persona on its head with his role as Elvis Presley’s manager Colonel Parker in Baz Luhrman’s new musical biopic about the legend.
Director Luhrmann teased earlier this year that fans will see a very different side to the popular actor.
The Aussie filmmaker labelled Hanks ‘the Rolls Royce of actors’ and explained that working with him ‘is a ride you want to be on’.
Eddie Redmayne expressed regret over taking on the role of a transgender artist in The Danish Girl (Picture: Mike Marsland/WireImage)
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He added to CinemaBlend: ‘But to be around him and to let him – he’ll be playing a new string on his instrument. And I think that’s a thrilling thing to see.’
For those worrying though, Hanks will then rebalance the scales of his wholesomeness as he takes on the role of Geppetto in Disney’s live action remake of the 1940 classic animation.
Elvis releases in cinemas on June 24, while Pinocchio will stream exclusively on Disney Plus from September 8.
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