It’s not uncommon for Hollywood fame to run in families. Many acting icons have worked alongside their children during their careers, including Henry and Jane Fonda, Martin and Charlie Sheen, and Will and Jaden Smith – just to name a few. Now, Tom and Truman Hanks have co-starred in the film A Man Called Otto, but the Hollywood veteran didn’t shy away from giving his son a warning before they started working together.
‘A Man Called Otto’
A Man Called Otto is slated for release in the United States in late 2022, and everywhere else in early 2023. It’s based on the Swedish novel A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman and is the first English language film adaptation of the book. A Man Called Otto follows the title character, who falls into a deep depression after the death of his wife and forced retirement from his longtime job.
His new and rowdy neighbors, however, become his unexpected friends. Tom Hanks plays the role of Otto Anderson, while his youngest son, Truman, was cast in the role of young Otto whenever there’s a flashback scene. Despite being part of a well-known Hollywood family, Truman was given a word of warning from his father before the filming process began.
A word of advice
Tom discussed working with his son during an interview on The Graham Norton Show, saying: “he’s not the actor in the family – he’s an artist and is going to be a cinematographer,” later explaining that “his passion is shaping the shot rather than being in the shot.” So far, Truman has worked as a lighting assistant for Black Widow and the latest version of West Side Story, but still decided to try his hand at acting.
When he agreed to be in A Man Called Otto, Tom gave him a very fatherly warning about the commitment: “We talked about it a lot and it was all his choice, but I said to him, ‘No matter what your last name is, you are going to have to hit the marks.’ Not everyone is cut out for that, but he did a magnificent job.” He did admit that after filming, he wasn’t sure if this was enough for Truman to catch “the acting bug.”
Acting with family
A Man Called Otto isn’t the first film that Tom’s acted in alongside a family member. In fact, his daughter Elizabeth Hanks was featured in one of his most popular movies, Forrest Gump. During a flashback scene on a school bus, she plays one of the children who won’t let young Forrest sit with them. Although there was no speaking involved, and all she did was shake her head, she was still credited as “School Bus Girl.”
Elizabeth was in an even smaller role with her father in That Thing You Do! where she was credited as “Bored Girl in Dress Shop.” Despite these early acting experiences and having a Hollywood legend for a father, Elizabeth took her career in a different direction, instead becoming an author.
More from us: The Heartfelt Letter Jimmy Stewart’s Father Wrote Him When He Left for WWII
Whether Truman follows their father into acting or forges his own path is yet to be seen. Regardless, Tom thought his role in the new film was “extraordinary.”