'Tom Hanks' hot tub confession
--------------------------------Tom Hanks has revealed he has shared a hot tub with naked girls, just like his character in his new movie. The Oscar-winning actor - who plays notorious party-loving Texas politician Charlie Wilson in 'Charlie Wilson's War' - drew on past experiences for some of the raunchier scenes in the movie, but did not develop a taste for the playboy lifestyle. Speaking at the London premiere of the film last night (09.01.08), Tom told BANG Showbiz: "I've been in hot tubs with naked women before. OK, they were my baby daughter and my wife! But it was great fun. "That's the great thing about being an actor - you play characters have a little bit of something in common with or you play characters you have nothing in common with at all.
"But hey, I'm a professional - I've never been a playboy and I've never had a taste for the life." The 51-year-old star, often dubbed "the nicest man in Hollywood", has a daughter, Elizabeth Ann, and a son, Colin, from his first marriage to Samantha Lewes. He is now married to actress-and-producer Rita Wilson, with whom he has two sons, Chester and Truman. Tom - who stars in the movie with Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman - also revealed he is already fed up with the US presidential elections. He said: "I haven't decided who I'm backing for president yet. I wish we did it like you guys do it here. In this country somebody says, 'I quit', and three days later you have an election. We have to live with this for another 10 months."
Nice Guy Tom Hanks
----------------------Tom Hanks loves his 'Mr. Nice Guy' reputation. The 'Castaway' actor - who can soon be seen starring as playboy US congressman Charlie Wilson in 'Charlie Wilson's War' - is widely regarded as one of the nicest men in Hollywood, but insists he doesn't mind the label even though he knows it will stick with him forever.
He said: "I'm in an interesting position there with the nice guy thing and the problem is that I co-operate. But that is who I am."But it also means that if I play a guy who shoots someone in the head and then machineguns everyone else in themovie, everybody still says, 'Yeah, but he's such a nice guy!' "Same if I play an executioner and it'll be the same now that I'm playing a guy who is f***ing everyone he can, going to bed drunk every night and snorting coke. People are still going to say that I'm a nice guy." Tom, 51, also said he is planning to give his directing career a rest to concentrate on raising his two sons, seven-year-old Chester and two-year-old Truman, with his second wife Rita Wilson.
He said: "I have had success with directing 'Band of Brothers' and 'That Thing You Do!' but right now I am in my child-raising years. I'd like to direct again, but I can't. It would take me away from my children and that would be inexcusable. "I have to work as an actor, but, if you choose carefully, sometimes a job for an actor can be a vacation with the whole family." Tom also has two adult children, 30-year-old Colin and Elizabeth, 25, from his relationship with his first wife Samantha Lewes.
Tom Hanks' Da Vinci fortune
--------------------------------Tom Hanks is set become Hollywood's highest paid actor after agreeing to star in 'The Da Vinci Code' prequel. The Oscar-winning actor - who normally commands around £13 million a movie - will reportedly receive between £15 million and £25 million when he reprises his role as Professor Robert Langdon in 'Angels and Demons'. A source said: "It'll be the biggest salary ever paid to an actor in the history of Hollywood." If Hanks does receive £25million for the film, he will overtake Jim Carrey as Hollywood's highest ever paid actor. Carrey was paid a reported £20million for 1996's 'The Cable Guy'.
Ron Howard, who directed 'The Da Vinci Code', has been asked to helm the second big screen adaptation of Dan Brown's mystery novel series. Filming is expected to begin in June.
Trustworthy Hanks
----------------------Tom Hanks has been named the "most trusted celebrity". The 'Forrest Gump' actor topped a list of 1,500 celebrities ranked for their trustworthiness by Forbes magazine. US TV celebrity Rachael Ray came second, while 'Back To The Future' actor Michael J. Fox was third. Chat show host Oprah Winfrey came in fourth place, while, actor James Earl Jones - best known as the voice of 'Star Wars' villain Darth Vader - rounded out the top five. 'Training Day' actor Denzel Washington, 'Legally Blonde' star Reese Witherspoon and legendary actor Morgan Freeman all made the top ten.
Satoshi Kanazawa, a psychologist at the London School of Economics, claims the list emphasises the misleading effects mass media has on audiences, making people believe the actors' on-screen personas represent their real personalities. Kanazawa told Forbes magazine: "Our brain assumes that we are still living in the small hunter-gatherer bands we lived in more than 10,000 years ago. As a result, we assume any realistic images of human beings that we see repeatedly are real human beings. "Our brain doesn't understand that these are actors playing roles on a drama or sitcoms, and we act as if they are trusted friends.
Hanks avoids race row
---------------------------Tom Hanks has narrowly avoided a race row. The 'Da Vinci Code' star was attending a party at New York restaurant Tavern on the Green, when he reportedly told Alex Wong - the frontman for US rockers The Animators - that he "looked like one of those pedicab drivers". According toonlookers the singer was shocked by the comment, but a spokesperson for Hanks was quick to clarify the remark. She explained to the New York Post newspaper: "He only meant that he was impressed with his physique because he was so muscular and lean like the guys who drive pedicabs all day."
The 50-year-old actor was recently forced to hire extra bodyguards over fears controversial movie 'The Da Vinci Code' could put his family at risk from disgruntled Christian groups. A source said at the time: "Tom and director Ron Howard try to play it all down, but religion is a very sensitive subject. "There is no question that some people are very offended by the story."