Without a doubt, Tom Hanks is one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood, with a long list of notable credits associated with him. Serving the entertainment industry for more than two decades, Hanks has given life to the cinema’s most iconic characters of all time. However, despite appearing in several critically acclaimed movies, the actor rejected multiple projects throughout his sterling career.
Following his big breakthrough in 1984, Tom Hanks further rose to perform his Oscar-winning roles. However, the legendary actor who is often known for playing Forrest Gump, repeatedly turned down major projects, throughout his career. Garnering Tony nominations and Oscar wins, it seems unfathomable to imagine that Hanks turned down Martin Scorsese’s film to appear in a comic-book movie.
Tom Hanks Rejected Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York
Diving into the glamorous world of entertainment in the 80s, Tom Hanks‘ big breakthrough came in 1984 with the mermaid comedy Splash. Thus, triggering a run of comedic roles, the legendary actor soon appeared in his first Oscar-nominated role in Penny Marshall’s Big.
Garnering Tony nominations and Emmy wins, Hanks soon won his first Oscar and appeared as the lead in the well-acclaimed movie Forrest Gump. However, amid his long list of critically acclaimed and uber-popular movies, Tom Hanks rejected a few films that could have added more credits to his sterling career.
One of such hard-to-let-go roles was in Martin Scorsese‘s 2002 epic Gangs of New York. Offering the lead role of Bill the butcher, the director had his eyes on Hanks for his long-gestating epic film. However, over the decades of its development, Robert de Niro and Willem Dafoe were both attached to the script.
Eventually, the role went to none other than the electrifying Daniel Day-Lewis, who hurled knives and sliced up pigs, to bring justice to his Oscar-nominating role as Bill the Butcher.
Tom Hanks Was Committed To Sam Mendes’ Road to Perdition
Although Martin Scorsese had been personally looking for Tom Hanks to play the lead role in his 2002 Gangs of New York, Hanks had other projects on his mind. Despite being a big fan of the script, the Philadelphia actor rejected Scorsese as he couldn’t pass up his opportunity to star in Sam Mendes‘ Road to Perdition.
Tom Hanks clearly had his heart set on Sam Mendes’ lead, Michael Sullivan, and was thus committed to bringing the character to life. Willing to appear in the DC Comics adapted crime drama alongside Paul Newman and Daniel Craig, Hanks drew critical acclaim for his role. He even confessed, “I just got this guy. If you’re a man, and you’ve got offspring…emotionally, it’s devastating”.
Turning down Martin Scorsese’s film, Tom Hanks evidently allowed Daniel Day-Lewis in the driver’s seat to play the deeply complex and compelling character of the butcher. The role earned Day-Lewis another Academy Award for Best Actor nomination, while Hanks drew critical acclaim for his role as Michael Sullivan.
Watch Tom Hanks’ 2002 DC Comics adapted Road to Perdition on Disney+ and stream Daniel Day-Lewis’ Gangs of New York on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Whatculture
