What We Can Learn From Tom Hanks
“It doesn’t matter why you do nice things; all that matters is that you do them”.
-Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Everyday it seems there's another story of a celebrity wrapped in scandal or a news bulletin of a tragedy, but we seldom hear about those in the entertainment industry who are doing good for the community and who brighten others' day just by existing. This is one of those stories.
This week, Taffy Brodesser-Akner from the New York Times detailed the time she spent with Tom Hanks in the article “This Tom Hanks Story Will Help You Feel Less Bad”, and the results are unsurprising - he’s just as nice as you think he is. Here are just a few of the reasons why:
He's Kind
Throughout the article, Brodesser-Akner references stories from celebrities and colleagues of Tom Hanks about the times that he went out of his way to make someone's day brighter or to make a project better - not because he had to, but because he could. It's no wonder he was cast as the Everyday man Mr. Rogers who was known for his kindness. On Mr. Rogers, Hanks said he was “always talking to a single kid, a single person two feet on the other side of the camera screen. They said when you were talking to Fred, you felt as though you were the only person in the world that mattered to him" - and Hanks exemplified it seamlessly. On Hanks, Director Marielle Heller says “It’s something in the energy and the essence and behind the eyes that you feel the same way looking at him as you feel looking at Mister Rogers, and that was what was so important to me". Kindness goes a long way, and this article was certainly not short of the proof of it.
He’s Respectful and Humble
Brodesser-Akner was on her way to interview Hanks on his new movie premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, "It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood" when she noticed he had been sitting there waiting for her: "he was sitting on a bench in a hallway outside a conference room, making jokes to a group of publicists, waiting for me ahead of the appointed time. That does not really ever happen, an actor waiting for me ahead of the appointed time". It's easy when in the spotlight to get caught up in the fame and ego of it all, or to become impatient but despite a few Oscars and decades of fame, Hanks' respect for others and their work is unwavering: "I think that you could respect the whole process even when the other people don’t."
He’s One of a Kind
Believe it or not, Tom Hanks still takes the time to send thank you notes and personalized notes letting people know he enjoyed their work, and the craziest part? He writes them all on a typewriter! “Every machine is as individual as a set of fingerprints. So, every time you type something on a typewriter, it is a one-of-a-kind work of art” he tells Brodesser-Akner. His typewriter was among the first things he owned at the age of 19, as he was constantly moving from home to home as a child - and he’s collected them ever since. Currently he has about 120 typewriters in his collection, and is giving them away until he’s down to his last. “I told him I make too many mistakes to work on a typewriter. But Tom Hanks is more optimistic than I am.”
While there are endless takeaways, the last one we’ll leave you with is this “it doesn’t matter why you do nice things; all that matters is that you do them”.