“No one knew what to expect”: Tom Hanks Was Stunned After Being Cast Alongside World’s Most Famous Pop Star in 1992 Sports Drama
Tom Hanks is one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood. The talented actor has been entertaining us for over four decades in the world of entertainment. With critically acclaimed movies like Philadelphia, Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, and Road to Perdition- the actor has not only won millions of hearts around the world but also comes under the list of one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood.
In 1992, Tom Hanks played the role of a coach in Penny Marshall-directed movie A League Of Their Own. The star-studded cast of the sports drama included the pop star Madonna and the Stuart Little fame actor Geena Davis. The Frozen singer was introduced to the world of cinema through A League Of Their Own in the early nineties.
Why Tom Hanks Was Amazed To Work Along With Madonna?
Tom Hanks is popular for experimenting with different types of characters in his projects. It is known that the 67-year-old actor went on to sign Penny Marshall’s sports comedy-drama because of the role of a Baseball coach to an all-girls team amidst the backdrop of WWII. During an interview with the media outlet ET, the Academy Award recipient was present for the promotion of his movie Big. He even spoke about the addition of the sensational pop star Madonna to the roster of the port drama. The Terminal actor recalled-
“No one knew what to expect from the world’s most recognizable, popular cultural icon,”
Madonna has always been the center of media attention ever since she entered the entertainment world. According to the actor, he used to come on the sets of A League Of Their Own, keeping her stardom aside. Tom Hanks even said-
“She had a distinct personality and that’s kind of interesting to get used to after a while. I did end up liking her. I thought she was neat. I thought she was cool,”
The entry of Madonna was quite controversial as the lead actor in the sports drama Debra Winger who was supposed to play the role of Dottie Hinson exited the movie. The role was passed on to the American actor Geena Davies. For Tom Hanks playing the role of Jimmy Dugan, the alcoholic and straightforward coach was all about coming out of the stereotypical characters he had played in his past projects.
Why Tom Hanks Was Apprehensive About Playing Walt Disney In Saving Mr. Banks?
The 2013 released John Lee Hancock-directed Saving Mr. Banks is one of the most critically acclaimed projects of Tom Hanks. He had played the role of Walt Disney and the movie revolved around on the development of the character of Mary Poppins. However, the Cast Away actor was quite skeptical about playing the role of Walt Disney in the movie. During an interview with Collider, the actor revealed-
“The burden, you know. Honestly, the responsibility. I heard about it first from Tony. I think he’s the head of the physical production at Disney. But he and I executive produced and worked and created From The Earth to the Moon, Band of Brothers, and The Pacific. We had done a lot of stuff. So he was over there. We have lunch every now and again. You’ve got to play Walt Disney in this movie we have.’ And I said, ‘Geez, who needs that pressure.”
Tom Hanks even mentioned how he went ahead with the character only after being convinced by the CEO of Walt Disney Bob Iger. The Captain Phillips, actor said-
“Then Bob Iger called me which, you know, he even said, ‘Look, this is not usually the way this works. I call you and say well, will you do it? And I said, ‘Well, I haven’t read the screenplay,’”
Tom Hanks’ A League Of Their Own is currently available on Amazon Prime.
Source: ET
