Tom Hanks on childhood: I fell through the cracks | Forward Progress

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0:39But Ultra is a whole lineup now. You've got Strawberry Dreams, Blue Hawaiian, Sunrise, and Vice Guava. And they all bring the Monster Energy Punch. So if you've been living in the white can, branch out. Ultra's got a flavor for every vibe. And every single one is zero sugar. Tap the banner to learn more. As we wrap up the week, we're bringing you one of the many positive messages from our past interviews. Each Thursday, we're sharing stories of our most watched athletes, celebrities and leaders. We hope these problem solving narratives inspire you to tackle obstacles in your own life. This week, Tom Hanks.

1:22Your dad and your mom divorced when you were five. I think you moved 10 times by the time you were 10, five different cities. You and your two siblings, you and two of your siblings were with your dad. Your other sibling was with your mom. But that also involved changing schools, new friends. How did all of that, you think, affect you as a kid? Well, the three of us all reacted very differently. My older brother was very shy, and he didn't do well. I loved it. I kind of dug it. I like going into a new circumstance. I think I learned skills of, you know, sort of like seducing a room. I never locked into a new social circumstance and felt clumsy or odd or shy.

2:09I came in kind of like looking, bopping around, looking, looking for action. Now, understand, I was the youngest. I was always the youngest in the house. And when my older sister and older brother were there, you know, they ran the roost. And I was just, I was kind of like the mascot there. There were some times, maybe there was a degree of loneliness because at really no one, I kind of like fell through the cracks and didn't really have adults per se that were taking care of me. But I was not abused and I always had a key to the house and I could always drink all the milk that was in the refrigerator, whether anybody was home or not.

2:50So I actually, it actually was probably the perfect, you know, background for a guy whose job it is to put on clothes that are not his and pretend to be somebody that he's not. Why is it you still cannot eat tomato soup? You have done your research. Because we were tasked with making our own lunches and dinners. and a open can of Campbell's tomato soup on a pan on a range turned up high boils over very quickly and if if you're fighting with your sister and trying to watch a you know an episode of leave it to beaver you kind of forget that that pot's on the stove and the smell of burnt tomato soup I mean, thank God they didn't have smoke detectors in apartments back then.

3:44We would have set one off every third day. Something was burning in our kitchen. The smell of tomato soup and then trying to clean it off with steel wool before dad got home. Yeah, that's a bad vibe. How often would you go to plays and movies by yourself growing up? Oh, my Lord. That was great. I mean, the education I got in an audience from that place was priceless, doubly so because I was alone and I was taking it all in by myself. I wasn't talking to anybody. I wasn't on a date. I wasn't goofing off. I drove over by myself. I bought myself a sandwich. which I will say that sometimes in line, I had to put off the advances of some older gentlemen that were very interested in the young man who was coming to the theater by himself.

4:36But I even understood the social aspects of that. And it was incredibly important. And I still do. And then when you're 20, you're cast in a play that's guest directed by Vincent Dowling. Yeah. What did he say in that first rehearsal that kind of tied everything together? He said, you know, work in the theater is more fun than fun. It is. It's more. Work in the theater is more fun than fun. And I thought, that is exactly how I feel. I would rather be in a play than do anything with my life. I'd rather be in a play than go skiing. I'd rather be in a play than go to a baseball game. I'd rather be in a play than go to the movies.

5:21He said, I'd rather be doing this than anything else. So then he said, all of the great plays are about loneliness. We're all fighting. Hamlet is about loneliness. And that was, it could very well have been the same night he said, work in the theater is more fun than fun. I seem to remember it might have been. That actually unlocked a door of what my personal connection was to an awful lot of this stuff. Why was I so intrigued by it? Why did I keep coming back again and again and again? And he answered the question for me is because I was seeing people who I related to in their battle against against loneliness.

6:03And I think he was I think he was right. All the great stories are still about our desire as human beings not to be alone. That's it for now. But if you're hungry for more in-depth with Graham Bensinger interviews, head over to YouTube dot com slash Graham Bensinger. You can dive into our deep library, which includes more than 2 ,000 clips spanning 12 plus years. Thanks again for listening.