Tom Hanks has been a major part of Hollywood for nearly three decades, with over 80 films he's credited in. The 66-year-old actor knows everything about the industry, starring in countless blockbusters from Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Captain Phillips, Big, Cast Away, and Toy Story. Yet, despite his celebrated career, Hanks tells People he believes only a few films in his catalog are 'pretty good.'
The two-time Oscar-winner is writing his own book, titled The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece. The novel, set to release on May 9, 2023, is a fictional story about the making of a high-budget superhero movie based on a comic book creation that inspired it. Hanks wanted to depict what it's like to make a movie, as he feels audiences don't understand the full scope of the task. While discussing the influence behind the novel, the actor admits he's made a ton of movies, and not all of them are a hit.
"No one knows how a movie is made — though everyone thinks they do. I've made a ton of movies (and four of them are pretty good, I think) and I'm still amazed at how films come together," Hanks explains. "From a flicker of an idea to the flickering image onscreen, the whole process is a miracle." He continues, "Movie-making is very hard work over a very long period of time that consists of so many moments of joy slapped up against an equal number of feelings of self-loathing." However, he still loves his work. "It is the greatest job in the world and the most confounding of labors that I know of."
Which Movies Does Tom Hanks Consider His Best?
Although Tom Hanks doesn't name his four best movies, it's understandable as it's nearly an impossible task. He won his two Oscars for Forrest Gump and Philadelphia, which could be two of the films he's alluding to. However, other projects like Road to Perdition, The Green Mile, Catch Me If You Can, Apollo 13, and Sully also come to mind. In addition, he played Woody through four Toy Story films, often regarded as one of the best-animated franchises of all time.
Of course, Hanks has starred in some duds too. The Da Vinci Code, The Circle, Inferno, and Angels & Demons all received less than favorable scores from critics. In addition, his most recent project, the live-action adaptation of Pinocchio, received mediocre to negative reviews. Fortunately for Hanks, his good movies far outweigh his bad, even if he only considers four of them 'pretty good.'