Movie Roles Tom Hanks Lost By Being Too Tom Hanks
Hollywood’s nice guy wasn’t always welcome on set.
Tom Hanks charmed audiences as the inter-species lover in the romcom, Splash. Since then, Hollywood’s most adored leading man has been cast in 85% of all movies made. Yet, his good natured, genial spirit was not always welcome on the set.
Here are 13 roles Tom Hanks lost by being too Tom Hanks:
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Role: Harry’s Uncle Vernon Dursley
What happened?
Hanks’s frequent off-script counseling inadvertently mended the turbulent relationship between Harry and the Dursley’s. He even offered “Harry” a full bedroom upstairs, encouraging Daniel Radcliffe to tear up his prop invitation to Hogwarts. Everyone wept.
2. Nosferatu
Role: Thomas Hutter
What happened?
Ellen Hutter’s frequent seizure-like convulsions prompted Hanks to yell “Cut!” so that he could rub co-star Lilly Rose Depp’s back and offer her a glass of water.
3. The Fast and the Furious
Role: Dominic Toretto
What happened?
Hanks claimed the script was “a gift from God” and he “was born to play Dom” alongside close friend, “Ja Rule.” He later lost the role to Vin Diesel in a drag race.
Bystanders speculate that Hanks engaged his NOS boosters too early on purpose, willingly handing over an opportunity of a lifetime to Mr. Diesel.
4. Face/Off
Role: Castor Troy
What happened?
Hanks was dismissed after failing to promote the film amid concerns that Travolta would not get the credit he deserved. His entire interview with Letterman was wasted explaining, “I’m me and John is John. We didn’t actually switch faces.”
5. Inglorious Basterds
Role: Colonel Hans Landa
What happened?
Hanks prepared for the role of a heartless Nazi Colonel by reintroducing red meat into his diet once a week. The extra cholesterol proved fruitless as Hanks ruined take after take insisting “these non-Gentiles have been through enough,” and even convincing his fellow Nazis by demonstrating the rich taste and versatility of bagels.
6. No Country For Old Men
Role: Chigur
What happened?
According to Joel Coen, Hanks could not say “friend-o” without giggling.
7. Spider-Man
Role: Uncle Ben
What happened?
Test screeners were appalled by Hanks’s early, on-screen death, leading to months of riots, theater-related arson, and plummeting popcorn sales. Hanks was later replaced by a more killable actor, but not before he reimbursed the studio for the wasted film and personally sold popcorn door-to-door, single-handedly saving Missouri corn farmers from bankruptcy.
8. Django Unchained
Role: Calvin Candie
What happened?
Tarantino cited Irreconcilable differences with Hanks who could not stomach how often the characters used the word “cracker.”
9. The Matrix
Role: Neo
What happened?
Insistent on a less violent rewrite, Hanks was dropped from the project after wasting 50 takes picking the blue pill.
10. Drive
Role: The driver
What happened?
Director Nicolas Winding Refn said of his time with Hanks, “Honestly he just wouldn’t shut up about how cool he looked in those driving gloves,” and rewrote the part to the nearly mute character we now know today.
Hanks was dropped soon after voicing concerns that the movie’s content would “encourage kids to drive over the speed limit without thinking of how it may affect others.”
11. The Revenant
Role: Hugh Glass
What happened?
Hanks’s subduing “pspsps” noises turned the iconic bear-fight scene into a less-iconic bear-tickle-fight scene.
Although he was replaced by Leonardo DiCaprio, Hanks continued to contribute by adopting and caring for all 450 bison used in the movie.
12. The Little Mermaid
Role: Eric
What happened?
Producers noted that Hanks’s nice-guy demeanor made him seem a little “too eager” to seduce a fish lady, again.
13. Barbie
Role: Beach Ken
What happened?
Hanks could not beach.
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Tmo Bradach is based in Chicago, IL and is utilizing his dual degrees in English and Philosophy to write jokes for the internet. He once met the lead singer from Disturbed and got his autograph. He has since lost that autograph.
