Tom Hanks has talked about why he wouldn’t take the part of a gay man in Philadelphia if it was offered to him now.
In the 1993 movie, the 67-year-old played Andrew Beckett, a young lawyer who is gay and has AIDS and has a hard time getting by in a society that doesn’t accept him.
At the 1994 Academy Awards, he won an Oscar for Best Actor for his role as the figure.
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Hanks has since talked about why he wouldn’t play that part today.
In a 2022 interview with The New York Times, journalist David Marchese said: “There’s no way a straight actor would be cast in Philadelphia today and Forrest Gump would be dead in the water.”
The actor replied: “Let’s address ‘could a straight man do what I did in Philadelphia now?’
“No, and you’re right.”
Do not be scared. That was the whole point of Philadelphia.
“The fact that I played a gay man was one reason why people weren’t scared of that movie.”
“We’re beyond that now, and I don’t think people would accept the inauthenticity of a straight guy playing a gay guy.
“It’s not a crime or funny business for someone to say that we will expect more from movies in the modern era of authenticity.”
“Do I sound like I’m preaching?” I don’t mean to.”
“Gary Sinise would not have been able to play Lieutenant Dan because he has legs?” Hanks asked Marchese about Forrest Gump.”
The journalist responded: “Not that. I’m sure that its premise alone would mean that Forrest Gump would be mocked and picked apart on social media before anyone even had a chance to see it,” leading Hanks to say: “There’s nothing you can do about that.
“The problem with Forrest Gump is it made a billion dollars. I think Bob and I would have been very smart if our movie had done well. But because we made a wildly popular movie, we were diabolical geniuses.
“Is it a bad problem to have? No, but there are books that list the best movies of all time, and Forrest Gump isn’t on them because, well, they’re all about happy memories. Pulp Fiction is always the movie that gets called “The Movie That Should Have Won Best Picture” every year. Pulp Fiction is a gem without a doubt.
“Look, I don’t know, but there is an undeniably heartbreakingly human moment in Forrest Gump when Lieutenant Dan played by Gary Sinise and his Asian wife walk up to our house on the day that Forrest and Jenny get married.”
