Did you know Tom Hanks was also an author? Well, you’re not alone. He’s been on a press tour of sorts lately to publicize his book The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece. It’s not a great sign when the most newsworthy thing in an interview about his book is that he thinks someone specific should play James Bond.
Hanks says he’s used to it, if that’s any consolation. In between a sprawling interview with the BBC, where even the article kind of calls the novel flat, Hanks reveals his pick for the charming secret agent that is Bond. His pick? The actor Idris Elba.
“Understand this,” he said. “James Bond has a licence to kill. I would issue that licence to Idris Elba just based on the work that I’ve seen him do.”
Bond came up because of a Hanks’ thoughts on the trend of publishing outfits editing novels to make them more palatable for modern sensibilities, which includes works by the children’s author Roald Dahl, and by the Bond architect Ian Fleming.
“I’m of the opinion that we’re all grown-ups here. Let’s have faith in our own sensibilities as opposed to having somebody decide what we may or may not be offended by,” Hanks said. “Let me decide what I am offended by and what I’m not offended by. I would be against reading any book from any era that says ‘abridged due to modern sensitivities.’”
Hanks book is about making a big-budget superhero movie, and it features a lot of unscrupulous behavior from its characters. Hanks said some of the bad behavior applies to himself:
“I have pulled every single one of those moments of behavior myself on a set. Not everybody is at their best every single day on a motion picture set. I’ve had tough days trying to be a professional when my life has been falling apart in more ways than one and the requirement for me that day is to be funny, charming and loving – and it’s the last way I feel.”
As for being Bond, Elba addressed those rumors earlier this year. “I love the Bond franchise, I’m very close to the producers. We were all kind of laughing about the rumours because they are just that,” he said. Him getting the role didn’t even come close to happening, he said.
“I can’t speak for them, but from my perspective, there’s never been any sort of truth to any of it,” he said.
Maybe Hanks co-signing will make something happen. The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece releases on May 9.
