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Although the 80s witnessed Tom Hanks rising to stardom, eventually becoming one of the biggest names in Hollywood, it was also one of the darkest periods in his life. Unlike his resume, which kept on witnessing several successful entries at the time, his personal life wasn’t going the smoothest, as he was undergoing a divorce from his first wife, Samantha Lewes.
TheForrest GumpStar was pretty young when he initially tied the knot with Lewes in 1987, sharing two children with her, and unfortunately parted ways 9 years later. But this divorce wasn’t easy on Hanks, as he got consumed by self-loathing and turned down a major project.
Also read:“I think I was genetically inclined to get it”: Tom Hanks is Ready to Lose Hollywood Roles After His Close Encounter With Death in $429M Movie Reminded Him of His Mortality
Tom Hanks’ First Divorce Took a Heavy Toll on Him
After misunderstandings and complications costTom Hankshis first marriage, the actor was consumed by self-loathing, landing into a dark pit of depression. This resulted in the actor alienating himself from everyone, including his children, as he kept on battling depressive thoughts on a regular. Reflecting on the dark period in his life, Hanks claimed he wasn’t a good father as he made his kids feel abandoned by him during that period. The actor explained,
“Horribly painful time. Fraught with emotion and bad feelings and you know, the failures that you go ‘I couldn’t be a worse father and I couldn’t be a worse human being.’ I remember all those feelings of as though I had cursed innocent beings with my own failings. …”
But it wasn’t only his personal life that was being impacted by the divorce, Hanks also turned down a major project, which eventually cemented itself as an all-time classic.
Also read:“If my film makes no money I get no money”: Steven Spielberg Gave No Money to Tom Hanks For ‘Saving Private Ryan’ That Grossed $485 Million at Box Office
Tom Hanks Turned Down This Classic Following His Divorce
Widely deemed as one of the best rom-coms of all time,When Harry Met Sally…still holds a special place in the hearts of millions. But before Billy Crystal secured the role of Harry in the genre-defining movie, Tom Hanks was one of the frontrunners for the role. But considering theSaving Private RyanStar was not in his brightest position following his divorce from Samantha Lewes, it’s reasonable why he wasn’t keen on starring in a rom-com.
Also read:“This is your bail out”: Carrie Fisher Tried Saving Her 18 Year Old Co-Star in Her $49M Cult-Classic Movie With Tom Hanks After Sensing His Dark Future Ahead
But despite losing some prominent projects, it didn’t take Tom Hanks long to bounce back, as the following years saw the actor starring in beloved classics likeForrest GumpandPhiladelphia.
When Harry Met Sally…is available to stream on Apple TV.
Source:In Depth With Graham Bensinger
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2539
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
