‘I believe that everything is connected’ ...says Hollywood actor Tom Hanks as he talks about his beliefs

‘I believe that everything is connected’

...says Hollywood actor Tom Hanks as he talks about his beliefs

Oscar-winning Hollywood actor-filmmaker Tom Hanks is easily one of the most versatile stars. Ask about his biggest strength through all his ups and downs in the industry and he says, “I am a lay historian by nature. I seek out an empirical reflection of what truth is.” In an email interview with After Hrs, the actor talks about his journey so far. Excerpts... How do you reflect on your three decades in Hollywood? So far, it has been a great journey. From my very first film — He Knows You’re Not Alone to Cloud Atlas and Saving Mr Banks — it has been a great experience. Producer, director, actor — what role is the most satisfying? I love all of them. All three give me self-satisfaction. Do you believe in karma? I believe that everything is connected. All our deeds, our actions are going to reflect in our next life. The fact that I get a chance to work with directors like Lana and Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer and a great team in Cloud Atlas, I’m sure has some connection to my previous life. Karma is like science. It follows Netwon’s third law, ‘every action has equal and opposite reaction.’ The decision I make today will have a direct effect on my future. How much do awards mean to you? It’s a way of felicitating people. That’s all I can say. Some like it, some don’t. What do you look for in a role? I like challenges. That’s what I’m looking forward to and that’s what Cloud Atlas came with. The film sees you in multiple characters. What were the challenges? The physicality and the vocal quality of it are going to have to come out of a very organic place, and that’s a big chore even when you’re only playing one role. When you’re playing six, time is your enemy because you don’t have as much. It was incredibly fun though. There’s a huge amount of the truth of human nature that went into Cloud Atlas. But more than anything else, I would say that it has a scope bigger than anything I’ve ever seen. We got to shoot in some amazing places. It was difficult though, to go to some of the places emotionally that my characters needed to go to. How aware are you of Bollywood and Indian culture? I enjoy reading a lot, so I have read few books talking a little about the Indian culture. I wanted to watch Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children at the Toronto Film Festival but, unfortunately I couldn’t. I’m hoping to catch it soon.