Considered to be a generational talent, Tom Hanks is a beloved actor who possesses the innate ability to portray virtually any character given to him, including the darker ones. His unreal versatility has made him one of the most known and recognizable faces around the world. With at least 78 films under his name, he has given several iconic portrayals not limited to one genre of movies. From films like A Man Called Otto to portraying his iconic role in Forrest Gump, which earned him his second Academy Award.
Tom Hanks has portrayed several iconic roles in his career, but his portrayal of a survivor on a deserted island stands out. His portrayal in the film stands out as it is quite difficult to carry a film that features hardly any dialogue or supporting cast, but Hanks did it as he showcased epic emotions, and how he spent 90 minutes for a memorable scene leading to an unscripted dialogue.
Tom Hanks Created Fire After 90 Minutes Using Friction Technique
Tom Hanks has left an indelible mark in the history of cinema, as his portrayal of Chuck Noland in the 2000 survival drama film, Cast Away. From being a FedEx executive to a survivor on a deserted island coping with isolation, desperation, and a never-yielding will survive, the audience falls in love with the actor.
Even though the Saving Private Ryan actor was charming as a FedEx employee, his astounding portrayal of a survivor undergoing mental and physical transformation, added a layer of authenticity to the character. Eventually, his portrayal became the symbol of hope and resilience. To make his portrayal more iconic, the actor was told to learn the friction technique to create a real fire so that his portrayal looks more authentic and he would get excited about the scene.
While shooting the scene, it took him 90 minutes to create fire, and when he accomplished the difficult task, he was genuinely excited leading to an improvised line “Look what I have created! I have made fire! I…have made fire.” During an interview with EW, Don Burgess, the film’s cinematographer stated that “The fire moment is a big win,” as it created hope that they wanted to showcase in the film.
Tom Hanks’ Favorite Film In His Career
With a career that spans 46 years and still going, the two-time Academy Award winner has done some memorable projects such as Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, Cast Away, Captain Philips, and many more. Almost all of his films are both critically and commercially successful, as he has worked with some of the best filmmakers that this generation has witnessed. And his performance in those projects remains irreplaceable in every one of them.
In spite of having a large body of work under his name, the Toy Story actor considers his performance from a late 80s film as his best work. The film that he is referring to is Punchline, where he portrays the role of a struggling standup comedian, alongside his future co-star Sally Reids. During an interview with Playboy magazine, he shared that it was his best performance, and watching it fail at the box office was extremely disappointing.
“The movie didn’t do that well, which was really disappointing…If I were going to figure out why, I would end up taking a bunch of cheap shots at an awful lot of people who tried really hard, and that’s not fair. But it’s the best work I’ve ever done. We were talking some real naked truths about the characters and, in a lot of ways, about myself.”
Hanks believed that the character was closest to him, as his worst traits were similar to his, hence making the actor feel he was being himself in the film.
Cast Away can be streamed on DIRECTV.
