Tom Hanks at the recent Cannes edition, where he presented “Elvis”, his latest film. photo EFE
A few days ago, Tom Hanks He has dedicated himself to reviewing key moments in his career. And among other reflections, he clarified what would happen today, with so many changes and anticipations related to gender issues, when it comes to having to choose an actor to Philadelphiathe 1993 film that crudely treated HIV disease.
In these times when interviews with actors are usually scanned by their publicists and reduced to aa junket in which they answer the same questions over and over again (“How did you prepare for the role?”; “What makes this character unique?”) it is necessary to celebrate that the New York Times took advantage of his time with Tom Hanks, during his media tour to promote Elvisits last first.
In the note with the prestigious American newspaper, Tom Hanks talks about it Adaptations by Dan Brown (“They’re cynical as a crossword puzzle. All we do is promise a distraction”), the biopic about Dean Martin that he never did with Martin Scorseseor why he stopped tweeting (“I thought it was an empty exercise”) …
A moment of the filming of “Philadelphia”: director Jonathan Demme marks a scene between Tom Hanks and Antonio Banderas.
And, of course, remember what you’ve been hearing in the industry for years: “Get me Tom Hanks! Bring me the next Tom Hanks! Bring me young Tom Hanks! Who is Tom Hanks?”.
But in times of absurd division and continuous tension, what ended up bouncing strongly on social media were not his comments on the passion he feels for American history, but his responses related to his work in Philadelphiaand why today it could not turn as it is.
thanks out loud
To illustrate how times have changed, the actor wonders: “Can a straight man do what I did now. Philadelphia? No, and rightly so. The goal of Philadelphia It wasn’t living in fear. One of the reasons people weren’t afraid of that movie was that I was playing a gay man. “
The other key piece of the plot: Denzel Washington starred in the account alongside Tom Hanks.
And faced with the rhetorical question, the great actor continued his reasoning: “We are over now, and I don’t think people would accept the inauthenticity of a straight man playing a gay. It’s not a crime, it’s not a whine if someone asks for more than one film in its current state of authenticity. “
The plot
For those who haven’t seen it, what it was Philadelphia? The plot tells the life of the young lawyer Andy Beckett (Tom Hanks) changes when he discovers he is living with HIV and for this he is fired from the law firm he works for.
Then hire the lawyer Joseph Miller (Denzel Washington) defend him during the trial, having to fight not only against the opinion that society has on this disease, but also against their own prejudices on homosexualityin a moving finale. Jonathan Demme’s film also included in his casting is an Antonio Banderas launching her career in Hollywood.
Antonio Banderas and Tom Hanks in 1993, the year of “Philadelphia”.
Neither “offended”, nor “Agenda 2030”, nor nonsense to try to stop a future that is already present: Tom Hanks is aware that, more or less, this world is no longer the same as it was thirty years ago.
Many years later, both actors recalled the shooting.
Fortunately, visibility exists, in Hollywood for a long time the closet is (much more) openand minorities have more freedom of artistic expression. And yes: this is a good thing. The fact that there are more people telling their story is always good so that we don’t have a single worldview left.
CJL
Source: Clarin
