Actor Tom Hanks, who stars in the film ‘A Man Called Otto’, has assured that in the United States there is «an epidemic of loneliness», especially among older men, and warns of a «lack of social structure».
«Regardless of the covid, in the United States there is this loneliness with people who lose their partners and feel alone, no longer part of a community. It is a terrible thing, which leads people to feel horribly lonely,» said the actor in an interview with Europa Press during his visit to Madrid.
Hanks recalled how this type of film, shot with protocols due to the pandemic, «works in the years ahead» thanks to reflect the consequences of the health crisis. «In the end, it reflects a time of loneliness, where people are worried about strangers and don’t want to get too close,» he lamented.
The actor who brought Forrest Gump to life says he’s not worried about getting older, since it’s something you can’t control. «You can get used to that idea, because it will come,» joked Hanks, who believes that «the only thing you can do is take care of yourself and stay connected to the world».
«When you get older, you wake up in the morning and wonder what you’re going to do with your life. I ask myself, what am I going to build? And I don’t mean build with tools, but as part of a larger life: that’s the spirit of life,» explained the American performer.
Hanks gives life in his new film to Otto Anderson, a widower who has just retired and believes that there is no point in going on with his life. Directed by Marc Foster (‘World War Z’), the film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Fredrik Backman, which also has a Swedish version.
The actor acknowledges feeling identified with some of his character’s characteristics. «I like the intense defense of the rules, I follow the rules, and in that sense you could say I’m a grump,» said Hanks, after defending his character’s meticulousness in applying the rules.
«Why don’t people park properly, why don’t they put their garbage away and why are they so lazy about it? I don’t understand it, not that it makes me mad, but I do think that if we all made the effort to do the right thing, things would work a little better,» he said.
With more than fifty films behind him and as many years of career, the actor says he still does not know what makes him choose some roles over others. «The only thing I know is that there is something that has not changed for me, which is the degree of excitement and danger of getting what I want,» he said.
«I start with something as basic to learn as dialogue and, once you know the script, I wonder what the journey is, the process of getting there so that when you’re shooting, you can play the part. Each time you start from scratch, with the feeling that it can be electrifying and terrifying,» he said.
Hanks recalled how during his time at the University he did not know that «you could make a living from the acting profession» and never dreamed of becoming a part of it. «I thought that was only for movie stars, but I started going to the theater and I realized that I wanted to be part of this: to be another person and be able to say a specific dialogue of a fantastic story,» he concluded.
