I'm Tom Hanks and I approved this message ...
I realized late in the game just how good an actor Tom Hanks really is. I needed "Cast Away" to open my eyes - which perhaps doesn't speak well of my ability to spot major talent.
So I'm not sure what to think of Hanks' latest development - a self-produced short in which he announces his endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for president.
Why is Hanks publicly endorsing anyone? What poly-sci chops does he bring to the table? He's been the consummate actor and has done yeoman work supporting World War II causes both on and off screen. But why would any actor go to the trouble of publicly endorsing anyone? And this goes for Chuck Norris, who aggressively supported Gov. Mike Huckabee a few months back.
It all seems ... odd. Possibly inappropriate, too. I don't think it serves an actor well to thrust his or her politics onto the movie-going public. Frankly, I wish I could watch Sean Penn's next 20 movies without knowing in the back of my mind what a dictator-lovin' fool he is in his private life. He's too good an actor to have such thoughts swirling in the audiences' minds. He does a disservice to himself.
Hanks isn't that destructive with his endorsement. Sidling up to Sen. Obama doesn't say anything radical about him, and Hanks is too smart, I bet, to ever pull of the kinds of stunts Penn routinely does.
But I think his public endorsement is a mistake. Agree? Disagree?
Update: The New York Post's Kyle Smith weighs in on the matter.
posted by Toto @ 5:53 PM
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6 Comments:
Maybe Tom Hanks thinks of himself first as an American, and then an actor. And what's wrong with an American saying, "I think this person would be the best leader for my country"? Maybe, like a lot of us, he's dismayed about what's happened over the past eight years. And if he thinks that his stance might carry some weight -- as it surely did with the ill-conceived WWII Memorial on the National Mall -- then, well, OK. His endorsement isn't without personal risk, since a lot of folks (and it sounds like you're among them) will be put off by it. How many of the rest of us can say that?
If Hanks were asked a question in an interview and he said, "I'm backing Obama," in response, that would be one thing. But he's trying to elevate himself into a spokesman based on his acting fame, not on anything else. He risks alienating more than half of his fans ... both Republicans and Hillary boosters, and maybe for him the risk of that doesn't outweigh what he thinks the positive aspect of his endorsement might be.
I just can't imagine folks being swayed by his endorsement.
I think backing a WWII Memorial is far less divise and far more unifying than getting your hands dirty with politics.
But thanks for weighing in. It's a really complex subject.
I wish it were the other way around: I wish politicians would endorse actors, or maybe just endorse movies. Think how much we'd learn about them -- at least until their advisors taught them how to advantageously position themselves by their endorsements. Imagine Clinton endorsing Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia until she was hastily advised to switch her favorite movie choice to Pork Chop Hill.
Voters are notoriously NOT swayed by endorsements. Readers, movie goers and other consumers, yes. But not voters. Inexplicable but true. So, really? Who cares? Tom Hanks has a very public and very broad soap box. Thank god he's using it for something he believes in. Because the alternative-- Paris Hilton using her celebrity to save drunken elephants or whatever the hell that was all about-- is far, far worse. Also, I had to comment on one other thing: Beautiful Girls is an awesome, underrated movie. Timothy Hutton is superb. And the soundtrack is amazing.
Kevin,
Yes, pols revealing their honest to goodness fave films would be potentially illuminating
Karmatee,
If Paris actually poured her $$ and fame into a bona fide good cause, I'd say, 'more power to her.' Until that time I'm suspicious.
And "Beautiful Girls" is an all-time favorite of mine. What a buried gem. The bond between Hutton and Portman is one of the more complex relationships I've ever seen on screen.
LOL!
Yeah, I pretty much think actors should shut up and act, but I think that has already been said and written. I could care less who they endorse, I just care whether they can deliver a line.
Kevin: yes, politicians should endorse actors and then when Bush endorsed Pauly Shore, we'll have known what we were in for.
Personally, I'm endorsing my German Shepherd (Xena Von Adel Haus Schlaefer) for President. She's smarter than most people I know and her only bad habbit is liking HER OWN butt.
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