Tom Hanks has a reputation for being one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. You rarely hear him swear in movies, he starred in Carly Rae Jepson’s adorable music video in one of the coldest recorded winters, and he even gave a refund to a couple who didn’t like his Larry Crowne movie. So how does he do it? There was a time when the Elvis actor answered that question about how he avoids Hollywood scandals and his explanation involved a Keanu Reeves quote.
When you think about it, Tom Hanks has never been under the radar for any controversial actions. That must be a breath of fresh air for the Big actor – not having to worry about making public apologies or fixing his reputation. What’s the big secret for making that happen? While being interviewed by Variety at the 2020 Golden Globes, Hanks’ reasoning for how to dodge being a controversial figure in Hollywood was summed up by a quote from his Toy Story 4 co-star. Said Hanks,
He always says it's preferable to the alternative which is true. I'd rather be appreciated than loathed, that's just me.
I can absolutely understand where Keanu Reeves was coming from – particularly in comparison to P.T. Barnum’s quote, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” When the media is watching your every move, you want to make sure you give off a good impression. The Matrix star is too busy playing badass characters and being called “the internet’s boyfriend” to get into any trouble. The Canadian actor has had plenty of nice guy moments while under the Hollywood spotlight, like when he auctioned himself to a lucky bidder to raise money for a summer camp dedicated to kids with cancer. Reeves also donated a huge chunk of his Matrix salary to cancer research. And you can’t forget about the time the Parenthood actor made a sweet phone call to someone’s grandmother. No wonder he’s such an appealing guy!
Another reason why Tom Hanks has tried his hardest to avoid scandals is because of the love of his career. He continued telling Variety how much it meant to him to be an actor:
It's just the greatest and most exciting, challenging job there is. I'm not in this for power although I have some. I'm not in this for money, although, man am I rich. I could go to Greece anytime I want to. That's how comfortable I am but there is no substitute for that.
It’s always great to see an actor with that kind of awareness of how important it is to do what you can to keep your highly competitive career. Other relatives of Tom Hanks have been followed by the media before, but haven’t always been portrayed in the best light. For example, Hanks’ 33-year-old son Chet Hanks, whose been known for brewing controversy, was recently slammed for his very dangerous TV appearance on The Eric Andre Show when his motorcycle antics were allegedly close to injuring crew members. The Oscar winner’s niece, Carly Reeves, had an even harder time escaping controversy following her epic meltdown in the Season 2 premiere of Claim to Fame, having being the first contestant to be eliminated from the show. Her ferocity and chilling scream spoke loud volumes to audiences.
The nicest guy in Hollywood couldn’t have picked better guy to quote on how to avoid Hollywood scandals. Tom Hanks and Keanu Reeves are living proof that you can be an actor in Hollywood and still be on your best behavior. You can hear both of their voices in Toy Story 4 – which is available to stream with a Disney+ subscription.
