Gathering inspiration from his upcoming biopic, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, beloved actor Tom Hanks writes an exclusive first-person essay for the October/November issue of AARP the Magazine (ATM) on the importance of lifelong friendships. He notes how, as depicted in the movie with the real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod, genuine friendships enrich lives and help shape careers.
Prior to becoming an EMMY®, Golden Globe® and Academy Award®-winning household name, the now unstoppable 63-year-old actor started out as most do – a struggling artist hoping to land a breakout role. At the start of his career, Hanks quickly went from intern to professional in the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in Cleveland, which happens to be where his friendship and true bond with fellow actors George Maguire and Michael John McGann began.
Working with these established actors in theater productions like Hamlet and The Two Gentleman of Verona provided Hanks with the opportunity to learn from their acting skills as well as their joy and professional passion. Hanks shares, “They were the kind of actor I wanted to be – and the kind of human being I wanted to become.”
But after two seasons in Cleveland, unemployed but with an Actors’ Equity union card in hand, Hanks had to decide his next step. Returning to the comforts of home in California, or go to the Big Apple per the recommendation of Maguire and McGann who claimed, “New York City is where actors and artists go to test their talent and their wherewithal!”
After arriving in New York, McGann showed Hanks the ropes of the city and acted as any true friend would, providing Hanks with everything from housing to professional advice to warm clothing for the winter weather. When McGann and Maguire taught him how to file his taxes for the first time and a refund check arrived, Hanks felt as if he’d won the lottery. He states, “And I had. They were, and are, my friends. You would not be reading these words otherwise.”
—
Photo Credit: Polifoto / Shutterstock.com